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It was a lovely morning for a swim – or so thought a friendly seal out for a morning frolic in the Maribyrnong River in Footscray early on Monday.
Pinnipeds are infrequent, but not unprecedented visitors in the city and inner suburbs as wildlife activity in Melbourne’s waterways is seen more often over summer.
Footscray local Rebecca Nelthorpe recorded the seal behind Flemington Racecourse about 6am.
“I was just walking along the river with the dog, and I always have a look in the water, because there’s a lot of jellyfish and cool things in there at the moment, and I saw a little seal’s head pop up and swim past us,” she said.
“It was very cool.”
Another seal amused onlookers in Geelong in January as it hitched a ride on the Spirit of Tasmania as the boat moved around Corio Bay.
A third seal was also reported around Altona last month, while others were recently seen around the Mornington Peninsula.
Elise Doyle from Melbourne Zoo’s marine response unit said the Australian fur seal population around Port Phillip was currently strong.
She said a wooden platform known as Chinaman’s Hat – near the heads between Portsea and Queenscliff – remained a major “haul out” location, where up to 100 seals get out of the water and rest.
“The last year has been hectic. There are so many seals out there, they look like sardines,” Doyle said.
“So it’s not surprising that more seals are hauling out to different places in the bay. I think they’re probably looking for a bit of real estate.”
She said it was not unusual to spot a seal in a river close to the city.
“We definitely do get more reports over summer,” she said, “especially because people are along our beaches and out enjoying the water this time of year.”
Doyle estimated her unit, which responds to reports of injured or distressed seals, received a call about a seal in a river every two months.
Matt Montemurro, from the Marine Mammal Foundation, said young seals may end up in rivers this time of year more often as they explored alone for the first time.
Australian fur seals come ashore to breed between October and December, meaning mothers eventually cast aside older offspring in summer to prioritise their newborn.
“They’ve very inquisitive animals,” Montemurro said. “So they’ll go hunting up waterways.”
The Guardian reported in August that another seal was spotted in the Yarra River around Docklands and near the Hoddle Bridge in Richmond.
Another river-exploring seal dubbed Salvatore drew attention amid the pandemic lockdowns of 2021 as it frolicked at Dights Falls in Abbotsford.
In 2017, another seal dubbed Salvatore also took up residence along the Yarra River during summer.
Dr Nicole Kowalczyk, the lead advocate of the Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association, said seals often explored the main tributary of Melbourne’s inner west too.
Three months ago, she spotted a seal further upstream from Flemington Racecourse near Maribyrnong’s Pipemakers Park, along the estuarine stretch of river that continues north to Avondale Heights.
“With the tide, you have schools of fish that are coming and going, and [seals] might just be following that,” Kowalczyk said.
“They’re also visual predators … so if conditions are relatively clear in the water, and it’s a sunny day, you would think they’ve got a higher chance of foraging well in the river.
“And, of course, you’ve got less competition than in the bay.”
However, Kowalczyk said seal sightings in the river remained occasional, indicating the waterway remained imperfect habitat.
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