William Gregory, a resident of Launceston suburb of Newstead, was scared out of his wits when he saw a 200kg Australian fur seal sitting on the roof of his car after he woke up on 26 December, which is celebrated as Boxing Day.
The massive animal caused a slight dent on William's car and cracked windscreens as it climbed up the vehicle. Tasmania Police immediately rushed to the spot after they were alerted about the incident and cordoned off the residence. They also asked the family to stay inside the house until the Parks and Wildlife officers arrive.
"You kind of wake up and you wonder, is this really happening, am I really seeing this or am I still dreaming?" said William, as reported by ABC News.
"We'll replace the windscreen and pop a few dents out, they're just old cars so it doesn't really matter. It's worth it," he added.
The seal was later tranquilised the animal and before carrying it away onto a trailer. The seal, which was nicknamed as "Mr Lou-Seal" by police, will be released at a beach in Tasmania's north-west after a medical check-up is done on him.
The police also said that they are not sure how the male seal found its way to Penquite Road in the Launceston suburb of Newstead, which is 50km from the ocean. However, some officers said that Mr Lou-Seal was spotted in the middle of the road at around 5.45am in the morning.
This is not the first time that a seal had been spotted in the neighbourhood. "A couple of long-term locals told me that it's happened a couple of times over the years," said William, according to the news website. "There is a little estuary right behind our house so I imagine he's just swam out there... and found himself out on the street," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Wildlife biologist Rachel Alderman explains why the incident is not surprising at all. It is a normal thing for seals form clusters in the area before the mating starts. "At this time of year, it's not unusual for us to locate fur seals in rather strange locations...Most of the breeding colonies are up in Bass Strait... so at this time of the year, all the seals are sort of congregating up in that neck of the woods," she said, as reported.
She further added that seals have been found in as paddocks and car parks, and even a cemetery toilet last year.
