Lost seal recovering after being found 100 miles from ocean
FREMONT, Calif. -- A wayward seal somehow made its way to Fremont and was rescued after police and animal services were called. But this is not the first time this animal has been rescued.
From Bodega Bay to Fremont is 100 miles. You can only imagine how long it would take for a seal to travel that distance. We're even told it crossed Interstate 880 in order to get there safely.
Osgood Road in Fremont is, perhaps, the last place you would expect to find a seal. That's what Jena Shellenbarger thought.
"We found a seal sitting right here between the fence and a tree," she said.
Turns out someone initially spotted the seal trying to cross the very busy road and called police for help.
"She was very calm we don't know how long it's been since she's eaten," said Fremont Police Department spokeperson Geneva Bosques.
The 9-month-old pup nicknamed Ozzie was eventually corralled into a cage and taken by animal control officers.
The Marine Mammal Center sent us video of Ozzie, who seems to be right at home playing in the water. They tell us her tag reveals she has a past. Her real name is Kumofur. And she was first rescued at a beach in Capitola four months ago. Earlier this month, she was released into Bodega Bay with another seal.
Last year, the Marine Mammal Center rescued a record number of seals and sea lions stranded and malnourished along the coast. Experts blamed warmer ocean waters and a lack of food.
Kumofur's journey is nothing short of a miracle as she was found in an area far from any body of water.
"It was just adorable this little brown thing a baby seal looking up at you big ol' brown eyes," said Shellenbarger.
So far rescuers say she appears unharmed. But she'll get a complete checkup before she's released again.
"She was supposed to make her way to Alaska," said Bosques.
