With the sun out and not a cloud in the sky, the Maribyrnong River trail was the perfect spot to bask in the sun — or at least one local seal thought so.
Dozens of residents enjoying a morning walk or run were overjoyed to come across the Australian fur seal sunning itself on the banks of the waterway near The Boulevard in Aberfeldie on Saturday morning.
“It was so cute,” one local resident said. “Every time it gets in the shade from the tree it wiggles to be back in the sun again.”
Authorities were notified and a barricade was placed around to protect the seal.
But when the Melbourne Zoo marine response unit arrived to try and collect the furry mammal and take him for an examination, he slipped back into the river.
It is not the first time a seal has been spotted in the river, with another filmed frolicking in the waterway playing with a fish in its mouth in 2020.
It is illegal to touch or feed a seal, with Wildlife Victoria rules warning to keep 30m away from them when on land.