A huge elephant seal has fast become a much-loved member of a coastal Victorian community. The seal is making a habit of taking a summer break from its sub-Antarctic home in the town of Portland, but wildlife enthusiasts are being warned not to get too close.
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00:00Sammy, the elephant seal, is making himself known in Portland.
00:06He first made a splash in the town a few years ago as a juvenile, but likes it here so much
00:12he keeps coming back.
00:13He's so big and he's so amazing.
00:15And you bring your kids down here and they're just like, wow, look how big he is.
00:19Yeah, I just love him.
00:21Elephant seals normally live thousands of kilometres away on islands near Antarctica,
00:26but Sammy prefers this canal in Portland, as well as the local surf beach.
00:30In Portland we have encounters with whales, dolphins, seals, so yeah, the odd orca, and
00:36it's unreal.
00:37We know how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area.
00:40It's nice that it's being recognised more widely.
00:43Now elephant seals like Sammy can weigh up to 4,000 kilograms, and their bite can spread
00:48bacteria.
00:49Under Victorian law, people need to stay 30 metres away from a seal, or 50 metres if they
00:54have a dog.
00:55Sammy is a wild animal, he can, you know, act unexpectedly, and so, you know, we wouldn't
01:01want him to bite the dog or vice versa, and diseases are transmittable between the seal
01:06and the dogs.
01:07Another elephant seal called Neil has caused trouble in Tasmania.
01:11We're definitely asking the community do not feed a seal because that is when they become
01:15reliant on humans feeding them, that they'll see a human and react and want to be fed.
01:19It's not known how long Sammy will stay here in Portland, but for now locals and tourists
01:24are making the most of his very large presence.
01:26There's so much to see and do here, and Sammy has become an added attraction.
01:33A seal expert expects Sammy will eventually head home to find a mate.
01:37I think people should take the opportunity to see one of these really rare and incredible
01:44animals, but of course be respectful that this is a wild animal.
01:48A rare opportunity, keen to hang around for a spring break.