Two weeks ago, a New Zealand woman named Annette Swoffer heard odd sounds coming from her kitchen. Swoffer walked down the hall, expecting to see her mischievous cats; instead, she stumbled upon the cutest home invader ever: a baby seal.
According to Annette Herald, the seal walked from the bay, across busy streets, through a suburban neighborhood, up a long driveway, under a gate, through a cat door, and up a few stairs into Swoffer’s kitchen. The woman couldn’t believe what she was seeing and decided to call over a neighbor. Swoffer told the Herald, “I thought ‘I’m hallucinating, this is just wrong. I’m looking and I’m definitely seeing flippers and not paws.’”
Though seals spend a majority of their time in water they are mammals. They breed, give birth, and raise their babies on land. According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation, Welcome Bay (where Annette Swoffer lives) has seen an increase of seals lately. Young seals are often left on shore while their mothers hunt for food. So it’s not uncommon for these curious young creatures to go exploring in their free time.
The NZ Department of Conversation has received reports of seals sneaking into gardens before, but never homes. In fact, when Swoffer called animal controlled they laughed and didn’t believe her at first. The only one who appeared to be calm during it all was the baby seal. He hopped passed Swoffer, her dog, and cats, making himself comfortable on her couch before taking a late nap. Swoffer says that the pup was unusually friendly.
The seal, who was named Lucky for his knack of crossing streets without getting hurt, was safely released back into the bay by the local Department of Conservation. However, chances are this isn’t the last time that Welcome Bay will hear of Lucky. The Herald reports that this is Lucky’s third time visiting the neighborhood.