By ANNE BESTON
An unusual visitor to Wellington's Kapiti Coast appears to be enjoying his stay so much he is reluctant to leave.
A rare Ross seal, discovered lounging about on Paekakariki Beach last week, has never been spotted on New Zealand shores before and is the least common of the Antarctic's four seal species.
"It's an extremely rare occurrence to see one, let alone have one stay for an extended period," said Department of Conservation marine biologist Bruce Dix.
Massey veterinarians had been called in to take a look at the seal but there were no concerns for its health, Mr Dix said.
But after three young women escaped prosecution for throwing sticks at a leopard seal in Gisborne earlier this year, DoC staff were asking the public to leave the seal alone.
"So far we've been impressed with the way the public and their pets have behaved and we want it to continue," he said.
The Ross seal, named after early Antarctic explorer James Clark Ross, keeps such a low profile it is rarely seen, even at home on the Antarctic pack ice.
It is characterised by dark grey to chestnut coat with distinctive light and dark chestnut or chocolate-coloured stripes from chin to chest.
It has the shortest hair of any seal and relatively short head and snout with big eyes.
Mr Dix said that when the animal was ready, it would swim back out to sea but appeared to be enjoying the relative warmth of its temporary home.
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