The patrons of the Sprig + Fern the Meadows bar in New Zealand were in for a real surprise one recent Sunday. Sorry, make that a seal surprise.
The Associated Press reports that a lost baby seal decided to pay a visit to the craft beer establishment, despite lacking proper ID and opposable thumbs to grab a beverage.
“Everyone was in shock,” bar co-owner Bella Evans tells the AP of the flippered guest’s appearance. “Oh my gosh. What do we do? What’s going on?”
At first a customer attempted to lead the seal back outside by guiding it with a sweater. However, the seal insisted on sticking around and flopped into a bathroom before eventually finding a hiding place underneath a dishwasher.
Evans then grabbed some salmon that had been earmarked for a pub pizza topping to try to lure the seal back out. Eventually, conservation rangers who’d been tracking the seal arrived and let it loose back into the wild.
“There’s been the running joke that we’ve got the seal of approval,” Evans says.