RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Short, and dark, and young, and tired, the seal on Ipanema was basking…
The fur seal on Rio de Janeiro's iconic beach was turning the heads of locals and tourists on Wednesday morning – although not for the same reasons as the famous “Girl from Ipanema.”
The animal is often seen on the coast of Brazil in winter and spring, but it is rarely seen at this time of the year, a few days before the start of the Southern Hemisphere summer, said Suelen Santiago, a biologist who works at the company that monitors the beach. .
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“This year we have unusual conditions,” she said.
Surrounded by tape and flags, the young male seal became the main attraction on one of the world's most famous beaches. Among the curious onlookers was Jordana Halpern, 29. She had never seen such a specimen before and ran to the beach when she heard that it had been seen.
“It's great, but it's kind of sad. He doesn't seem to be doing very well,” Halpern said. Almost as if she heard her, the seal moved more energetically, raising its head and emitting a low noise. “Oh my gosh! He really moved!” Halpert said.
Santiago said they still don't know why the animal ended up in Ipanema in the off-season, but he wasn't worried: “It's just resting. The animal is very active, and as he is only resting, and soon he will go back to the sea.”
