Why did the seal cross the road? To take a nap.
A baby grey seal chose a treacherous spot to catch some z’s this week — in the middle of a busy Jersey Shore road on Long Beach Island.
“That was something I’ve never seen,” Harvey Cedars Police Chief Robert Burnaford told The Post.
The 6-to 8-week-old female arrived in the early morning hours Tuesday and was dozing when a shocked passerby noticed her and rushed to alert police.
“She’d come all the way up Long Beach Boulevard from the beach and crossed three lanes,” said Bumaford. “That’s a long way.”
Seals move on land by “galumphing,” a caterpillar-like, belly-flop motion.
“The officers, along with someone from our DPW [Department of Public Works] team carefully removed our unexpected guest to a safer location away from traffic,” Burnaford said.
They called the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC), who raced to the seal’s side and whisked her back to their care facility in Brigantine.
The MMSC said the lucky little seal had no injuries, but “was in a very thin overall body condition and weighed 34.8 pounds.”
“She is underweight (she should weigh roughly 50-60 pounds), which is the primary reason she has been admitted to our hospital. If all goes well, she will be with us for about eight weeks and then released back into the wild.”
They pampered the poor pup with a special formula with a side order of fish, and said she’s getting lots of rest but was still in guarded condition.
“While it is unusual to find a seal in the middle of the road, MMSC responds to a handful of calls every season for seals that have roamed up beach access paths into parking lots, backyards and residential streets,” the center wrote in a Facebook post.
“Grey seal pups in particular are known for having the tendency of wandering off the beaten path and getting lost looking for a way to get back to the ocean.
“This pup likely did not learn how to eat very well on her own after being weaned from her mother. Grey seals only nurse for about two weeks, and once weaned they are completely independent. They weigh about 30-35 pounds when they’re born.”
Burnaford said the wayward wanderer was lucky.
“I’m just so grateful no one hit her. Drivers should pay attention because you never know what you’re going to find in the road.”
