Swedes mystified by seal pup found in forest away from sea

STOCKHOLM - Agence France-Presse

A seal pup lies in the snow after it was found in a forest in eastern Sweden. It was taken to the nearby Dalaelven river, where it was released. AFP photo

A seal pup was found in a forest in eastern Sweden on March 24 almost six kilometers from the closest body of open water, raising questions as to how it got there, Swedish media reported.

“A somewhat confused person called and said he was out walking in the woods where he had found a seal pup. I thought he was joking at first,” Uppsala police inspector Henrik Pederson told news agency TT.

Hunter Robert Sandefors, who was asked by police to take care of the pup, said the seal had probably made its way into the woods on its own, based on tracks visible in the snow.

Police said the seal had probably crawled three kilometers over sea ice and three kilometers into the woods. “He must have gotten separated from his mother and gotten lost and gone in the wrong direction,” Sandefors told public broadcaster Swedish Radio. The seal was taken to the nearby Dalaelven river, where it was released and swam away.