Sea Lion Visits Fish Shop, Traps Staff for 30 Minutes
A friendly sea lion wandered into a Dunedin fish and chip shop Saturday night, blocking the only exit and leaving staff and customers in a surprising standoff. The endangered visitor hung out for half an hour before wildlife officials arrived to help.
Imagine finishing up a fish order and looking up to find a meter-long sea lion blocking your only way out.
That's exactly what happened to Zandar Beker at Takeaways on Marlow in Dunedin, New Zealand, when a large female sea lion strolled through the door just before 6pm on Saturday. The massive marine mammal parked herself in the doorway, trapping Beker behind the counter and a customer on the other side.
"I didn't really notice her until I basically finished doing all the order, and she was just in the doorway of the shop, just looking at both me and the customer," Beker told local media. The shop sits about 500 meters from the ocean near St Kilda Beach, close enough for curious sea lions to catch the scent of fresh fish.
Staff tried tempting her outside with a piece of fish, but she wasn't interested in takeout. Instead, she settled in for a 30-minute rest, seemingly content to watch the humans figure out their next move.
With only one exit available, Beker and his colleagues had to carefully squeeze around the counter and wait out their unexpected guest. The Department of Conservation arrived to safely guide the sea lion back toward the coast.
Sunny's Take
This isn't even the first time Dunedin businesses have hosted sea lion visitors. Another pakake (the Māori name for New Zealand sea lions) stopped by a local dry cleaner in November, and the fish shop had a similar visit around the same time last year.
Summer is breeding season for these rare mammals, which explains why they show up in surprising places. Pregnant females search for safe spots away from males to give birth, and curious pups explore their surroundings as they grow.
New Zealand sea lions are among the rarest in the world. Only about 10,000 exist, mostly in the subantarctic islands, and their population faces a projected decline of 50 to 70% over the next three generations.
Wildlife officials remind locals to give these vulnerable animals space when they wander inland. While this particular visit ended peacefully with no one hurt, sea lions can become aggressive if approached when stranded or stressed.
For now, Dunedin residents can smile knowing their coastal neighbors feel comfortable enough to pop in for a visit, even if they don't buy anything.
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Based on reporting by Stuff NZ
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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