When high school teacher Spencer Andrich was planning lessons on his computer, he noticed an unlikely animal coming towards his home — it was an elephant seal.
Since Washington State Governor Jay Inslee issued a Stay at Home Order on March 23rd, Andrich has been living at his family’s beachfront property about 60 miles north of Seattle. The home has been in his family for three generations, but according to Andrich, an elephant seal visit is a first. “I don’t think we ever had anything close to this happen here.”
Apparently, the aforementioned seal has been in the area several times. An enforcement officer from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife named Ralph Downes knew who the animal was.
“I got on the horn with Ralph, and he immediately knew who she was. She has three tags on her flippers, [but] he didn’t have to ID them. He goes, ‘I’ll bet you anything that’s Elsie May,’” Andrich said.
While the tagged flippers confirmed Downes’ guess, it was her unusual behavior that had given her away in the first place. Andrich summarized Elsie May’s reputation among biologists, enforcement officers, and others familiar with the seal: “Apparently, she’s very social. She gives zero effs. And she knows she’s on the top.”
Learn more about this peculiar elephant seal over at Vice.com.
(Video Credit: Jason Koebler/ YouTube)