People can come up with some pretty creative excuses for not being able to go to work, but a Tasmanian woman had possibly the best reason ever for needing to stay home one day recently: a 1300-lb elephant seal was blocking her car, Amber Harris discovered, per ABC.
“Neil the Seal” is well-known to locals.
Amber Harris wasn’t exactly shocked when she saw Neil — he hangs around the beaches of Hobart and he’s tagged, so he’s easily recognizable. He loves to play with traffic cones and catch some sun in the middle of the road, as well, so Harris has seen him plenty.
However, this was the first time Neil the Seal had made his way in to her yard, and he parked himself right in front of her car. There was no way she was getting out until he moved.
What was a woman to do?
Talking to ABC Radio Hobart, Harris said Neil was having the time of his life at her house but pointed out that Neil didn’t look like he was in any hurry to move away from her car so she could get out.
“He’s outside having a little nap,” she said. “He has moved around. He’s been on my front deck, he’s had his little head — well, big head — up on my hammock and he’s now down blocking my car.”
She called her boss soon after and mentioned she was going to be late. Thankfully, her boss was understanding and found the whole thing pretty amusing.
“There’s not a lot you can do with a 600kg seal at your car,” she said. “[Work] got all the photos so they knew it was legitimate. It’s given everyone in the office a bit of a laugh.”
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Neil the Seal had no intention of being lured away with food.
While Harris thought she might have been able to get Neil to take a hike by offering him a bite to eat, a wildlife expert nixed the idea.
“He probably won’t eat anything, because, when he comes up onto land, he’ll be up here for about three to four weeks and he usually uses that for hibernation,” she said.
Thankfully, Neil got bored a few hours later and decided to leave. That being said, Harris would welcome him back anytime.
“I’m across the road from the beach. So he’s made his way all the way up, up a dirt road and across,” she said. “I have no idea why he’s chosen my front yard but he’s welcome to stay as long as he wants.”
Hopefully, next time it won’t be during work hours!
