It’s always a nice experience to have an encounter with a friendly animal, but these beachgoers didn’t have to look very hard as a local seal was eager to make some human friends.
Sammy is a young seal who has spent the last few months on the sands of Weymouth Beach in the UK, and he’s made quite a splash with locals:
According to The Dodo, the seal first appeared on the beach at the height of quarantine, and because there were so few humans it seemed like a great place to hang out.
But even as people began to return to the beach over the summer, Sammy was not scared off… in fact, he happily welcomed the company.
Far from being scared of humans, the curious seal goes right up to swimmers and kayakers to greet them.
Sammy has become quite a local celebrity, so much so that photographer Will Badman woke up extra early to get to see the seal.
“Well worth getting up at 4am today to get the sunrise and to try and see Sammy the Seal,” he wrote on Facebook.
Badman captured plenty of wonderful photos of the seal approaching beachgoers: “Sammy was going up to the people swimming not the other way around.”
“Sammy has a habit of popping up on people unexpectedly and tries to get onto their surfboard, kayak or on people’s back as they are swimming,” Badman told The Dodo.
“[He] seems to love the cameras … when he comes onto the beach to rest.”
While Sammy is a playful animal, Badman also stresses that he’s still a wild animal, and it might be best to give him space—he says two people were scratched or bitten by the seal.
“If Sammy is on the beach please keep your distance and let him rest and warm up,” Badman wrote.
Now that Sammy is famous, he has his own team of volunteers looking after him to make sure he is safe and protected.
All in all, Sammy’s appearance on the beach has been a rare treat for everyone in the area.
“He was great to see and is not something that we normally have in this part of the UK,” Badman told The Dodo. “I traveled an hour to go and see him and it was well worth it.”
What a beautiful seal! How cool it must be to see Sammy at the beach. Share this story!
