In a terrifying incident, a giant elephant seal brought mayhem to a Chilean town on Monday as it shuffled through the streets before locals blocked its path further inland and guided it back to the sea.
According to the details, the giant seal the size of a small car managed to lumber down ten blocks of a residential area of Puerto Cisnes, in the country’s southern Patagonian region.
Chilean police and navy officials joined local residents as they sealed off streets leading further inland with cars and plastic sheeting before using the same tarpaulin to guide it back to its natural habitat.
Meanwhile, volunteers kept throwing buckets of water over the animal to keep it hydrated, Mail Online reported
Giving details about the incident, a witness, Manuel Novoa, said that all the people were helping and were using tarpaulin to circle the seal.
“It’s just a few feet from the sea now. The work neighbours have done has been incredible. They’re giving it time to rest because it’s covered around 10 blocks and must be very tired.”
A dog was even seen joining in at one point, wagging its tail as it ran up to the army of helpers running behind the elephant seal as it sped up its belly flops along the tarmac after realising the water was within touching distance.
A Navy official said volunteers packed up their plastic sheeting and returned home.
“I want to thank the local community in the name of the Chilean Navy. It was a great effort. The seal is safe now and out of danger from humans and dogs that could do it damage.”
The bizarre episode has been linked to the fact the normally busy town is on coronavirus lockdown and its streets are silent at night-time because of a Covid-19 curfew.
A witness, Antonia, told local press, “It was moving very quickly. My son spotted it first and initially he was frightened.”
“I had never seen an elephant seal so close up, and certainly never in a populated area. You usually see them in the sea and a long distance from land.”
