Overview
- The juvenile fur seal entered Sprig + Fern The Meadows in Richmond on Nov. 30 and eventually hid under a dishwasher.
- Staff and patrons borrowed a dog crate and used salmon to coax the animal out, unplugging the appliance to keep it safe.
- New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, which had received multiple reports that day, collected the pup and released it on nearby Rabbit Island.
- DOC notes that curious juveniles often follow rivers as far as 15 kilometers inland during this period of exploration.
- Surveillance video shared on social media drew wide attention, and bar staff nicknamed the visitor Fern with a quip about earning the pub’s “seal of approval.”