Members, believe it or not, but a Bunnings manager recently received an unexpected yet rather adorable surprise the first thing on a Monday morning.

At around 6:30 am, Sara Yates, the manager of the Whangārei Bunnings Warehouse in New Zealand's North Island, was told that a strange guest had just freely strolled into the store's delivery yard–none other than a wild New Zealand fur seal!

We would love it if a seal came and visited us at the SDC HQ. Image source: Yahoo Australia.

Pictures of the unanticipated visit were shared with Yahoo Australia, showing Sara's staff trying their hand at unarmed conflict resolution. The seal was surrounded by dishwashers, ovens and other large items and was held in a makeshift holding pen until rangers from the Department of Conservation were called to collect the little fella.

Unfortunately, there are no reports confirming or denying whether the little fella got his sanga or not. But we can happily confirm that the seal, also known locally in New Zealand as a ‘kekeno’, was safely taken by rangers to the nearby Reotahi marine reserve.

A rather polite stance there for a little lost seal! Image source: Yahoo Australia.

These seals have been found in the strangest of places around New Zealand in recent years, from a nearby marine reserve to the set of The Hobbit film—a full 90 kilometres inland!

There was also a similar situation in Australia not too long ago, with a 400kg seal named 'Neil' making itself right at home in a Tasmanian park.

Key Takeaways

• A Bunnings store manager discovered a seal had wandered into her store in Whangārei, New Zealand.
• The staff responded to the situation by creating a makeshift holding pen using heavy products.
• Local rangers managed to safely relocate the seal to a nearby marine reserve.
• There have been several incidents of seals being found in unusual places across New Zealand and Australia.

Though members, don't think of these creatures as all cuddles and soft fur, because they can become dangerous very quickly.

As anthrozoologist Dr Bruce Englefield said, 'As soon as you give them a name, people think of them as being like humans. It creates a problem of thinking he’s lovely and cuddly, but he’s not—he’s a 400kg wild animal.'

So if you ever come across such an unexpected guest in your local area, it's best to take all necessary safety precautions and contact the relevant authorities before doing anything else. With that in mind, we hope this story has been a fun read and a good laugh!

Have you ever heard or read about something similar happening in your neck of the woods? Tell us in the comment section below, members!

 

[Gsr]

Well the Bunnings where I work gets the usual birds, rats, mice. But on occasions we get brown and black snakes which can be a pain for team and customers as we have to block off areas of the nursery and store til a snake catcher comes and removes them. Don’t know why when we have plenty of garden tools that could be used to dispose of them, but oh no, they are protected.

 

[Ricki]

They're just looking to help out with the rat, mice and bird problem.