Seal of approval?

An enterprising seal in Ireland has established a regular - and somewhat unusual - feeding routine.

This incredible footage shows the charming sea dweller give his seal of approval to his local chippy – much to the dismay of its frustrated owner.

Sammy the Seal loves the restaurant so much he even crosses the road three times a day to get his fresh fish.

The heart-warming routine has turned the chubby seal into a local celebrity in Wicklow City, Ireland.

. . .

Restaurant owner, Alan Hegarty, said Sammy showed up outside the chip shop just after he opened up the The Lighthouse Seafood Restaurant in 2012.

He said: "He appeared a week or two after I opened the chip shop, but it's only recently he's started jumping out of the sea and crossing the road."

He added that Sammy is "still a wild animal", but that he has become so beloved by locals that he even has regular feeding times.

Mr Hegarty added: "We feed him a little amount three times a day - at nine o'clock, one o'clock and four o'clock.

. . .

Mr Hegarty said that Sammy at first had startled a few people but that now he has brought a lot of joy to some of the local kids who wait to see him.

He even revealed that Sammy seemed to have a partner of late - a female seal who showed up around Valentine's Day.

Mr Hegarty said: "She stayed - she obviously wasn't a one night stand. We haven't named her yet, but we have a competition running for local people to name her.

"When I go to feed them Sammy steps back so I can feed her first, he's a proper gentleman."

There's more at the link.

Here's a video clip of Sammy mooching fish at work.

Looks like he's got this down to a science . . .  I wonder what the dog would do if Sammy were to suddenly appear at halitosis range in front of his nose?




Peter