By Goya Dmytryshchak
A seal has been spotted resting at Altona beach on Wednesday.
The Australian fur seal appeared to be sunning itself in shallow water
Altona resident Gary Pisani said delighted onlookers were keeping their distance, as required by law.
He said concerned passers-by notified the authorities to ensure the seal wasn’t injured.
“The wildlife [authorities] basically said, ‘Look it’s all clear, it’s OK’,” he said.
“Most likely, it’s just probably resting there.”
The seal then swam to some rocks where another local resident George Spiteri took a photo.
“I had some time to kill before doing the regular kinder drop-off and decided to take the little one for a walk to the beach directly at the end of our street,” he said.
“Before you know it, there was a seal there that we’d never seen before.
“We walked across to the rocks to watch it from a safe distance and it waddled back into the water and made its way over to the rocks.
“It looked a little tired, but relieved to have a rock to lie on and some warm early morning sun hitting it on its back.”
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning reminded people not to approach seals.
“People must remain 30 metres away from a seal on land, and five metres from a seal on man-made structures like a jetty or boat ramp,” said senior wildlife officer Abby Smith.
“Dogs are required to be kept at least 50 metres away.
“We recommend that members of the community do not disturb seals on land and allow them the opportunity to rest.”
If anyone sees an injured, sick or distressed seal, they should call the AGL Marine Response Unit on 1300 AGL MRU (1300 245 678).
