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A seal has been spotted in the Hunte near Oldenburg. This is not an isolated case, experts explain. © Karl-Heinz Hick/Imago/Screenshot
During a fishing trip, a person was able to film a seal in the Hunte near Oldenburg. Experts classify the sighting as rare.
Oldenburg – You don’t see that every day. During a fishing trip on the Hunte near Oldenburg, a large animal swims through the river. The angler records a video that is shared on social media. Many agree: a sighting is a stroke of luck. However, experts see things a little differently.
Rare sighting on the Hunte: Fisherman films seal – experts clarify
The animal swims slowly and carefully along the grey river. The video of the seal, which Mazen G. posted in a group dealing with events in the city of Oldenburg, has excited many people. Some people seem to be unsure of what it is exactly, several people assume that it is a muskrat or a beaver.
Others are certain: the animal in the video is a seal. And Timo D. also writes: “That’s a seal. It’s not unusual for them to come as far as the Hunte.” So a sighting is not that rare. This is also what the experts from the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, which also includes the Oldenburg Food and Veterinary Institute, say.
Seals are spotted in the Hunte from time to time: The animals like to make “small excursions”
“It is not unusual for seals to make ‘little excursions’ into the rivers,” says press spokeswoman Hiltrud Schrandt when asked. And in fact, this has happened a few times in the Hunte. As the Northwest Newspaper writes that a seal appeared in Oldenburg harbor in 2010. In 2017, a fisherman sighted it near Hude. In Bremen, a baby seal had to be rescued in July. The pup had been separated from its mother.
So how is it that seals keep wandering up into the rivers? “Young seals in particular explore their surroundings to look for food,” Schrandt continues. But these are seals that are already capable of surviving on their own. They are particularly curious and travel long distances to search for food. They usually find their way back to the coast on their own.
You should only report a seal if it is a pup (i.e. a baby seal that has been abandoned by its mother) or if it is an injured animal. The seal station in Norddeich provides online tips on correct behaviour.
