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Baby Seal Galumphs Into Richmond Pub — Staff Shout, "Grab the Salmon!"

01:51 PM, 12/04/2025
Baby Seal Galumphs Into Richmond Pub — Staff Shout, "Grab the Salmon!"

A baby fur seal wandered into Sprig + Fern The Meadows pub in Richmond and hid under a dishwasher, prompting staff and patrons to coax it out until conservation rangers arrived. The seal, nicknamed Fern, had already been the subject of multiple reports and was safely released on dog-free Rabbit Island. Officials say young seals often follow rivers inland and turn up in unusual places during an annual “silly season.”

A curious baby fur seal wandered into Sprig + Fern The Meadows, a craft-beer pub in Richmond on New Zealand’s South Island on a wet Sunday evening, creating an unusual — and memorable — scene for staff and patrons.

Accustomed to animals in the pet-friendly venue, co-owner Bella Evans first assumed the visitor was a dog until she got a closer look. “Everyone was in shock,” Evans said. “Oh my gosh. What do we do? What’s going on?”

The young seal, clearly well under New Zealand’s legal drinking age, slipped into the back of the pub, darted into a restroom and eventually settled under an unplugged dishwasher. Patrons tried coaxing it out with a sweater and one customer drove home to fetch a dog crate.

Staff hit on a different idea: the pub was running a pizza special with salmon as a topping. “I just went to my fiancé, I said, grab the salmon! Grab the salmon!” Evans recalled — the improvised bait that helped lure the seal from its hiding place while staff kept it safe.

Conservation rangers arrived shortly afterward; they had already received multiple reports about the wandering animal and were searching the area. Department of Conservation spokesperson Helen Otley said the seal was released on nearby Rabbit Island, chosen because it is free of dogs and considered a safe return site.

Otley added that young seals commonly explore inland by following rivers and streams for up to 15 km (9 miles) and can appear in unexpected spots during an annual “silly season.” Successful conservation efforts have increased seal and sea lion numbers in New Zealand, which means more frequent human–wildlife encounters.

Staff nicknamed the visitor Fern. Evans, who has co-owned the pub for only a few months, said this was her first experience evicting an unruly patron — and that the pub has earned the “seal of approval.” Salmon will remain on the menu.

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Baby Seal Galumphs Into Richmond Pub — Staff Shout, "Grab the Salmon!" - CRBC News