Melbourne isn’t somewhere you would think that wild animals would roam around the city centre. It’s more coffee shops, trams, laneways, and crowds of people. But a seal, floating about in the brown water of the Yarra River? That is what happened this past week, and the whole city has been talking about it.
When I first heard the news I thought it must be an old video from the pandemic years. People share recycled animal clips all the time. But then I saw more and more posts pop up on my phone. A round whiskered head breaking the surface near Docklands. A slippery body lounging on pylons. Footage of it gliding in and out of the water like it owned the river. I realised this was happening right now. A seal had decided to take up residence in Melbourne’s most unlikely waterway.
Straight away the comparisons began. People called it the new Salvatore. Anyone who remembers the first Salvatore knows why. The first Salvatore appeared during the pandemic, at a time when we all needed something to smile about. When everyone was stuck at home, plagued by low spirits, Salvatore was out there reminding us that nature always finds a way. And now here we are again. A new visitor. A new story.
I imagine what it must be like to come across the seal in person. You are standing on a bridge, half distracted by your phone, maybe running late for work. Then you hear the splash. You look down. Something moves in the water. For a moment you wonder if it is rubbish floating along. Then it surfaces. A sleek, curious face, with long whiskers, and dark, curious eyes. A cute, majestic seal! In that brief moment, it’s just you and the seal. Nothing else. The noise of the city fades away. Only the sloshing sounds of the river remain. Magical.
But here’s a point to remind ourselves of. Seals are wild animals. They can bite if approached. They can be harmed by boat traffic and by the pollution in the river. Feeding them can make them sick. People are being asked to admire the seal from a safe distance. But in truth the crowds have not tried to claim the animal. They are simply enchanted. Social media accounts have already sprung up. Hashtags like #SeallyFriend are gathering clips and photos from anyone lucky enough to spot it. The seal has become a celebrity almost overnight.
No one knows if it will stay. It might head back down the bay and vanish, leaving behind nothing but a few shaky videos and the stories people will tell. Or it might remain and add another chapter to Melbourne’s folklore, just like the Salvatores before it.
For now the Yarra has been transformed. A river that is usually a punchline for its brown water and its floating debris has, for one week in August, become a place of wonder. All because of one unexpected visitor. A seal that reminded a busy city that there is still mystery and beauty waiting in the most unlikely of places.
