A seal that inexplicably appeared in a rancher’s pasture 35 kilometers from the ocean had to be euthanized.
After the animal was discovered on Monday in Simpson, a small town inland from Victoria’s south coast, the Melbourne Zoo declared they will keep a watch on it.
Dr. Michael Lynch, the facility’s chief veterinarian, stated that the seal had to be euthanized on Thursday because it sustained severe injuries while attempting to return to the ocean.
“Today’s intervention was necessary since the seal was unable to return to the ocean by the same path it took to reach the farm,” he explained.
“Upon examination, it was determined that the seal was elderly, suffering from one-eyed blindness and dental fractures.
As the seal was unable to feed and live naturally in the wild, it was judged that euthanasia was the most humane option for its welfare.
The zoo previously recommended visitors to avoid touch with the seal in hopes that it will return to the water by the same route it took to the farm.
Tuesday was the first day that a video of the seal waddling around in the pasture surfaced on social media.
The strange footage depicted it writhing in the wet grass as the bewildered cow stood by and gazed. Following an earlier seal sighting on land, Australian Marine Wildlife Research Rescue’s Aaron Machado stated that seal sightings away from the water are normal at this time of year.
“For such a small animal, when you move 50 meters away from the water, you turn around and you can no longer see the water, therefore they continue wandering,” he told 3AW.
They frequently travel a considerable distance from water to relax.