Canadian town calls feds after seal invasion causes havoc
At least 40 seals are calling the small town of Roddickton-Bide Arm, Newfoundland, their new home.
The seals are suspected to have been driven onto the land as a result of a lack of food, but are too confused to find their way back, according to CBC.
Mayor Sheila Fitzgerald said:
It actually feels like we're being inundated with seals, because there's seals on the road, there's seals in people's driveways, the backyards, the parking lots, the doorways, the businesses.
Earlier this week, the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) responded to a call that a seal had made its way from the water and was near the front doors of the town's hospital.
A second call was made the following morning reporting the seal was back on the road. With assistance from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the seal was safely removed from the area and released at a more isolated area on the peninsula, away from any community area.
Two of the marine mammals have already been killed.
Mayor Sheila Fitzgerald said the seals' grey coats blend in with the road, and the town has had several calls from drivers who've had near misses.
In Canada, it is illegal to disturb marine mammals and the RCMP and DFO reminded the public that it is very dangerous to approach or attempt to capture animals without proper equipment
