After discovering a baby seal in a wheat crop on a farm close to Cowell on the Eyre Peninsula, a farmer from South Australia released the animal back into the water.
On Thursday morning, a seal was discovered on a neighbor’s driveway, three kilometers inland, according to farmer Ty Kayden, who received a call from the neighbor.
“Your neighbor needs you to come and have a look at this,” my neighbor stated when he called me. He seemed to be saying there’s a baby cow in my driveway. No, it’s a baby seal, he replies, Kayden remarked.
“You’re kidding, we best come have a look,” I said.
FAR FROM HOME: Cowell farmer Ty Kayden found a BABY SEAL in his wheat crop this morning. The crop is about 3km’s from the ocean! Hear about it soon on the Country Hour @ABCRural @abcadelaide @abcnews pic.twitter.com/QyWhN2Di2y
— Rhett Burnie (@RhettBurnie) July 7, 2022
According to him, the closest seal colony is around 80 kilometers up the coast. Since starting to farm in the area more than 60 years ago, Kayden’s family has never witnessed one travel this far inland.
As soon as we stopped, Kayden remarked, “There is this small little three-foot seal [about 91cm] sitting just on the border of the wheat crop.”
“It’s a short two-wheel track to the shore, but three kilometers from the coast is a long way. I’m unsure of how it got there or what it was doing.
The seal appeared frail, but Kayden noted that it was fortunate to be alive given the current prevalence of foxes in the area.
Since there was no nearby animal protection organization, they decided it would be best to return the seal to the beach rather than leave him in the center of the harvest.
The only thing we could do was bring him back to the beach and start him moving because there is nothing comparable to the RSPCA nearby, he claimed.
We simply dropped a towel over its head, picked it up, and placed it in a tub in the back of the pickup.
The seal was taken to the beach, where it was high tide, by Kayden and his worker. The seal first resisted leaving, but after a slight prod, it swam off into the shallow water.
According to Kayden, “I’m hoping it’s had a large feed of king whiting and is looking a bit heavier.”
Although other species occasionally visit the shore, South Australian waters are home to Australian sea lions, long-nosed fur seals, and Australian fur seals.
According to Steve Reynolds, president of the Marine Life Society of South Australia, the animal was probably a Longnose New Zealand fur seal, which is capable of walking on its flippers.
A representative of the RSPCA advised anyone who finds a sick or injured animal to contact a local veterinarian or wildlife organization.
“They should be able to give guidance on what to do with the animal, including whether you should try to handle the animal and, if so, how to do so. They should also be able to make sure the animal receives the proper care if it is ill or injured.”
Lead Image: Seal pup found on farm in South Australia 3km from ocean.
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