We all know that the rule with wild animals is that we will not approach them unless they approach us first. Clearly this implies the arrival of something less dangerous than a lion or a tiger. An animal we are not supposed to approach because of what it would mean to accustom them to living outside their natural habitat, not because they might be a risk to us.
It may be difficult to abide by such a rule if it is a coot, but even more so if it is a baby coot. That’s what happened to the owners and employees of The Old Lock & Weir, located in Bristol, UK. Because of the restaurant’s location so close to the water, it is normal for them to have more frequent interactions than usual with some of the marine mammals.
That said, the little seal that came knocking on their door was by far the most daring they had ever seen from a marine animal. Dan Rawlins, the shop’s owner, recounted his experience:
“I was pleasantly surprised to see him. He was moving around quite a bit and didn’t seem too bothered by all the people around. Since he was underweight, he was evidently attracted to the smell of the food cooking inside. We speculated that he was hungry.” The little animal entertained the employees, showing that he was not afraid of them and was willing to play a little if they gave him a fish or two.
However, an animal like this needs water and care, so the employees set to work to create a pleasant environment for him while the animal experts arrived. It was rescuers from the RSPCA West Hatch who came to take the little seal with them. Once they had him with them, they noticed that he had been previously quantified with a chip. Looking at her chip, they discovered that she had been previously registered in the Scotland sector, having swum more than 400 kilometers to reach the door of that restaurant in Bristol.
Anyway, in the hands of the experts they were able to give him some food. They thought that the animal would gain a little weight before returning it to the water. In the end, the little seal got away with it.
