New Haven, Connecticut, is no stranger to curious visitors — but none have charmed the city quite like a wayward baby seal with a knack for sightseeing.
What began as a quiet morning near the harbor turned into a multi-day escapade, complete with a seafood restaurant pit stop, a downtown stroll, and a police escort. Donna Domek was on her usual walk when she spotted the pint-sized adventurer lounging outside Shell & Bones Oyster Bar and Grill.
“It was the most amazing thing,” she said. The seal, later identified as a six- to seven-week-old male gray seal, seemed determined to explore beyond the shoreline.
I have never seen anything like it,” Domek said.
Francesca Battaglia, an animal rescue technician at Mystic Aquarium, speculated the pup was freshly weaned and testing his independence. “They really do have to figure out everything on their own, and they do become confused and lost like this little guy,” she said. Her team initially relocated him to a quieter beach, but the seal had other plans. By the next day, he’d “scooched” five miles inland, turning up in downtown New Haven.
Police helped keep the baby seal out of harm’s way until help could arrive. New Haven Police Department
Locals gaped as the pup waddled past shops and traffic. Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven Police Department spokesperson, admitted the first photos sparked skepticism. “I started getting pictures, and I thought they were AI-generated,” he said. “It’s not something we encounter on a daily basis.”
Officer Tyler Camp soon found the seal galumphing into oncoming traffic and swiftly guided him to safety. Camp waited in icy rain for two hours until rescuers arrived. “We were determined to get the seal some help,” Bruckhart said. “We have a lot of animal lovers in the department, so we were just trying to make sure he was okay.”
The seal, now under Mystic Aquarium’s care, arrived underweight and dehydrated. Battaglia explained that pups often struggle early on: “It’s not unusual for these animals, when they first go out on their own, away from mom, to lose a bit of weight as they’re learning to catch fish.” Dubbed “fish school,” his rehab involves relearning hunting instincts. “We’re trying to get his natural instincts to kick in,” she said.
Staff at the aquarium would like the baby seal to gain 10 to 20 pounds before they release him back into the wild. Photo by Mystic Aquarium
As for his downtown detour? Battaglia suspects the seal sought quiet but found chaos. “He probably was just trying to find a safe place and ended up finding the complete opposite,” she said. Bruckhart, however, joked, “New Haven is known for its clam pizza.”
The pup’s antics have turned him into a local legend. “It’s made quite the splash in the neighborhood,” said James Gross, a resident near the oyster bar. Meanwhile, the police department is crowdsourcing names, with “Chappy” (after local Chapel Street) leading the polls.
Though the seal’s itinerary raised eyebrows, his story has a happy ending: He’ll return to the wild once he gains 10-20 pounds. Until then, New Haven will savor the tale of the tiny tourist who preferred pavement over waves, and just wanted a slice of the town’s famous pizza.
