South Africa: Seal Takes a Stroll Down Cape Town Freeway

21 December 2022

Cape Town — Cape Town Councillor Angus McKenzie shared this video in which a seal can be seen on the busy road during peak traffic this morning. He captioned it: "A seal making his way to Bonteheuwel swimming baths. It has been taken to the ocean." It's a two-hour, 30-minute walk from the closest beach to Bonteheuwel.

The man speaking Afrikaans off camera is asking how the seal came to be there, with the sound of cars hooting in the background.

The incident comes a little over three years after residents in Milnerton, Cape Town, spotted a leopard seal near a lagoon in the area. The event was noted for being unusual due to the fact that the animal's primary habitat is in the Arctic.

According to Daily Maverick, scores of "refugee seals" are also washing up on the shores of the Eastern Cape. These malnourished seals are thought to have travelled so far away from the West Coast to find new hunting grounds.

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