Photo: Beverly Police Department
A wild seal is on his way back to his natural habitat after a weeklong stay in a Massachusetts town.
After several failed attempts to capture the animal, Shoebert was rescued early Friday morning after he left the pond and ventured onto land, making his way to the offices of the Beverly Police Department.
In aFacebook statement, the organization wrote that Shoebert “came to the side door of the police station for some help.” The Beverly Police Department added that Beverly Animal Control and members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Beverly Fire Department all provided aid to the marine mammal.
“We were able to get Shoebert into a special wildlife carrier without incident. Shoebert appeared to be in good health and was a little sassy in the early morning hours,” the police department wrote on social media.
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After his capture, Shoebert was transported to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. At the aquarium, the seal will undergo observation and receive any needed medical care before his future release into the wild.
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Steve Drohosky, a general manager of the Cummings Center that Shoebert previously traveled across, toldThe Boston Globethat Beverly residents believe that the seal swam into the area’s Bass River before he made his way up a culvert and into a pond.
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Beverly locals couldn’t help but gush and share their excitement over the news of the town’s newest resident either.
Chris Wrenn — the owner of Sully’s Brand, a t-shirt company in Beverly — toldThe Boston Globeof Shoebert: “He’s kind of a regional celebrity at this point. It’s almost like a children’s storybook come to life.”
source: people.com
