Overview
- The fur seal entered Sprig + Fern The Meadows in Richmond on Nov. 30 and surprised patrons in the pet-friendly bar.
- Security footage shows the animal galumphing through the bar before ducking into a restroom and hiding under a dishwasher.
- Staff and customers unplugged the appliance, fetched a dog crate, and used salmon from a pizza topping to coax the pup into the carrier.
- Department of Conservation rangers, who had received multiple public reports that day, collected the seal and released it on nearby Rabbit Island.
- Officials linked the episode to growing fur seal numbers and the yearly “silly season,” when juveniles may follow waterways up to about 15 km inland.