A Baby Fur Seal Wanders into a New Zealand Pub, Bringing Joy and Chaos to Patrons
In an unusual turn of events, a curious baby fur seal wandered into a craft beer bar in Richmond, New Zealand, leaving patrons shocked and delighted. The tiny seal, which was later named Fern by staff, appeared out of nowhere on a wet Sunday evening, its bright eyes scanning the room as it waddled towards the bar.
At first, co-owner Bella Evans thought the creature might be a dog, but a closer look revealed its true nature. "Everyone was in shock," Evans recalled. "Oh my gosh. What do we do? What's going on?" The seal's arrival marked the start of a chaotic evening, with customers scrambling to figure out how to safely escort the lost animal out of the premises.
In a bizarre twist, Fern managed to evade its pursuers by darting into a bathroom and hiding under the dishwasher. It was only when staff offered her a tasty treat – a pizza topping – that the seal began to relax, allowing conservation rangers to track it down.
Thanks to the quick thinking of Evans and her team, as well as the prompt arrival of conservation experts, Fern was safely reunited with its colony on nearby Rabbit Island. The island's dog-free status made it an ideal location for the release, with Department of Conservation spokesperson Helen Otley praising the pub staff for their "great job keeping the seal safe" until help arrived.
While the encounter may have been a surprise to patrons, it highlights the growing trend of seals and sea lions venturing into human habitats during New Zealand's "silly season," when they regularly appear in unexpected places. Conservation efforts have led to an increase in populations, bringing these creatures closer to humans than ever before.
For Evans, the encounter was a welcome surprise, if not a challenge. "There's been the running joke that we've got the seal of approval," she said with a smile, as staff and regular patrons alike welcomed Fern back into their lives – at least until next time she wanders in for a visit.
In an unusual turn of events, a curious baby fur seal wandered into a craft beer bar in Richmond, New Zealand, leaving patrons shocked and delighted. The tiny seal, which was later named Fern by staff, appeared out of nowhere on a wet Sunday evening, its bright eyes scanning the room as it waddled towards the bar.
At first, co-owner Bella Evans thought the creature might be a dog, but a closer look revealed its true nature. "Everyone was in shock," Evans recalled. "Oh my gosh. What do we do? What's going on?" The seal's arrival marked the start of a chaotic evening, with customers scrambling to figure out how to safely escort the lost animal out of the premises.
In a bizarre twist, Fern managed to evade its pursuers by darting into a bathroom and hiding under the dishwasher. It was only when staff offered her a tasty treat – a pizza topping – that the seal began to relax, allowing conservation rangers to track it down.
Thanks to the quick thinking of Evans and her team, as well as the prompt arrival of conservation experts, Fern was safely reunited with its colony on nearby Rabbit Island. The island's dog-free status made it an ideal location for the release, with Department of Conservation spokesperson Helen Otley praising the pub staff for their "great job keeping the seal safe" until help arrived.
While the encounter may have been a surprise to patrons, it highlights the growing trend of seals and sea lions venturing into human habitats during New Zealand's "silly season," when they regularly appear in unexpected places. Conservation efforts have led to an increase in populations, bringing these creatures closer to humans than ever before.
For Evans, the encounter was a welcome surprise, if not a challenge. "There's been the running joke that we've got the seal of approval," she said with a smile, as staff and regular patrons alike welcomed Fern back into their lives – at least until next time she wanders in for a visit.
like wot do u do? staff is all "oh no" but then they offer it a pizza topping & its like, "ok i'm good now" 
conservation rangers arrive & release the little guy back to his colony nearby. meanwhile the pub is just chillin with the seal of approval 
great job to the staff for keepin it calm & safe till help arrives!
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! Like, who needs a beach vacation when you can just go to a pub and get visited by a baby fur seal? 
Fern was definitely the life of the party that night... or chaos, depending on how you look at it 
i mean, who needs Netflix when you've got a pizza topping to calm down? anyhoo, props to the staff for keeping her safe till the conservation crew showed up 
and can we talk about how great it is that Rabbit Island is dog-free – at least our furry friends are living their best lives 
i mean, who needs a foosball table when you've got a seal waddling around? 
maybe they should add it to their menu as a special "Fern's Favorite" dish 
seals just walking into pubs like they own the place! fern the baby fur seal is adorable tho 
i mean who wouldn't love those big round eyes? and its funny how it got away from everyone by hiding under the dishwasher, that's like something out of a movie 
anyway glad no one was hurt and fern got to go back home 
and we're all over here trying to figure out how to get her out safely. it's pretty cool that the staff were able to keep her safe until the conservation rangers showed up though 
just so we can have that same fun and excitement all over again 
. I mean, what are the chances that a baby fur seal just happens to wander into a pub on a random Sunday evening? It's like it was invited or somethin'. And what's with all the "conservation efforts" leadin' to an increase in populations? Sounds like someone's tryin' to cover somethin' up. 
like, it's not every day you see a fur seal just chillin' in a pub 
and making everyone's evening so much more interesting 
. but seriously, i'm glad no one got hurt (except for fern's pride being slightly bruised) 
. anyway, i hope fern gets back to its colony soon and has plenty of fish to munch on 
)
they're doing their part to help conservation efforts and let's be real, it's not every day you get to see a fur seal in your pub