A juvenile seal caused quite a stir among customers at a Northland Bunnings this morning, as staff used ovens and dishwashers to keep the unexpected visitor safe.
Staff at the Whangārei store were greeted by the fur seal/kekeno early this morning.
The seal was reportedly nearly hit by a car on State Highway 1, which is adjacent to the store, before being encouraged to leave the road.
Bunnings Whangārei complex manager Sara Yates told 1News that she was alerted to the situation by a phone call from one of her staff about 6.30am.
"I guess I wasn't really anticipating a seal on the premises. So I said: 'Are you joking?'
"And obviously, they said: 'No, come and have a look for yourself.'
"And they clearly weren't."
She said the team had to "think quite quickly around what we were going to do".
The manager said the seal "moved fast" and was a "smart one" to avoid people's attempts to set up barricades to stop it from browsing the stock area of the store.
"While keeping clear from it, we tried a couple of times to barricade it so it didn't go inside, but we quickly learnt she was a smart one and actually held a bit of weight behind her as a couple of teams tried to use shields to divert her back outside".
Eventually, Yates said she got the idea to use the store's ovens and dishwashers to build a makeshift home for the seal — which "worked a treat" at keeping the animal contained until expert help could arrive.
Department of Conservation (DOC) staff arrived about 7.30am to remove the seal.
"She wasn't at all aggressive, a bit frightened and calmed right down after being barricaded," the manager said.
"I eventually found the number of the after-hours DOC rangers who very quickly came to site and removed her safely."
While waiting for DOC rangers to arrive, staff and truckies were excited to get a glimpse of the furry animal, according to the manager.
"It was obviously something that doesn't happen every day," Yates said.
A DOC spokesperson said two rangers were deployed to the Bunnings to rescue and return the seal to the Reotahi Marine Reserve — around 30km west.
"The juvenile seal appeared in good condition if not a little skinny, and the Bunnings did the right thing by immediately calling [the 24-hour DOC emergency hotline] for assistance."
Marine science advisor Laura Boren said: "It's that time of year again — seal silly season." Despite it happening every winter, it takes people by surprise.
"It's exciting because it really indicates that fur seals are doing well, and this time of year provides for some unique and special encounters with them."
"Between May and September, young seals, and male seals of any age, can be spotted as they leave their breeding colonies to explore and rest.
"This includes newly weaned pups finding their way in the world.
"Although kekeno are marine mammals, they spend much of their time on land resting and basking in the sun. They are most often found on rocky shores but are curious and exploratory by nature, occasionally travelling up rivers."
Yates said it was "really nice" to see the video of the seal being released back into the wild. She said she also appreciated how quickly rangers arrived at the scene.
"Proud of the team who acted promptly on my requests as we troubleshooted this very random Monday morning situation."
People are urged to call 0800 DOC HOT if they see a seal in obvious danger.
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