Onlookers capture incredible video as massive sea animal wanders into bustling community far from shore: 'He's huge'

Residents of a South African harbor town were left stunned — and rather charmed — by the unexpected visit of a large sea animal.

What's happening?

In a video uploaded to CNN's TikTok account in late May, a massive elephant seal had a grand day out in Gordon's Bay, a harbor town and suburb of Cape Town. After disrupting traffic, "the seal eventually won the hearts" of the locals. 

@cnn A Southern elephant seal makes a surprise visit to the residential neighborhood of Gordon's Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, and triggers an almost nine-hour rescue effort to return him to the coast. #CNN #news #SouthAfrica #seal ♬ original sound - CNN

Residents named the oversized interloper "Gordon," or "Gordy" for short. After nine hours of effort, the still-growing pup was eventually enticed back to the safety of the sea, having originally traveled a great distance to the residential area.

The video's commenters were as enamored with Gordy as the coastal community had been. 

One simply said, "He's HUGE!" Another swooned, "He's so cute!" 

A few aspiring comedians weighed in. One postulated, "Imagine being late, then telling your boss 'There was a seal on the road.'"

Why are wild animals wandering into urban areas a concern?

Although presented as a light-hearted piece, the story highlights an important issue that should be a cause for some concern.

In this case, nobody was harmed, and no serious property damage occurred. However, other such cases have not ended so well. 

When threatened, animals can attack people. They can also make off with pets and livestock. In such cases, they can also face euthanasia themselves.

Of course, it's possible for a wild animal to randomly wander into a developed community. But human encroachment and habitat destruction are prime drivers of unusual wildlife presence in urban areas. 

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Another contributing factor is the disruption of animals' food supplies stemming from rising global temperatures. With heat-trapping pollution upsetting growing patterns and food chains, some hungry animals are forced to venture outside their natural habitats. Polar bears are an example of wildlife that is becoming increasingly common in human settlements for these reasons.

Fortunately, elephant seals as a species aren't facing any immediate threats to their long-term survival, but that hasn't always been the case. They were hunted to near extinction for their blubber. Now they are protected under international law. 

What's being done about human-wildlife encounters?

In the big picture, addressing root causes will be key. Human-caused pollution and encroachment are problems with at least a few solutions we could deploy now.

But managing human-wildlife encounters often begins close to home. In Gordy's case, the community came together to nudge the seal gently back to sea. Properly addressing more difficult cases will require some planning and deliberate local action. 

A part of that action could include designating and safeguarding conservation areas for vulnerable animals. Supporting pro-environment policies could help to create preserves aimed at protecting specific species — and the biodiversity on which all living things rely.

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