If cuteness is a crime, then Shoebert the gray seal is a master criminal.
The gray seal turned himself in to the local police station ... by waddling up, just like how any other seals move on land. And by this, his adventure being on the lam in the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, finally came to an end.
Shoebert first appeared in Shoe Pond, which he was named after, earlier in September and immediately caught the attention of locals. It is believed that the seal had to travel through rivers and pipes to get there from the sea.
Attempts to capture the gray seal were conducted by wildlife experts and firefighters without success. However, apparently the seal chose to take the initiative and turned himself in the very next day.
Shoebert decided to get out of the pond, waddled across a parking lot, and appeared at the door of the local police station where he was noticed by officers:
At approximately 230am on 09/23/22 we had a visit from everyone’s favorite seal Shoebert. Shoebert made his way out of the pond and traveled through the Cummings Center parking lot and came to the side door of the police station for some help.
He was then transported to Connecticut for a medical exam before being re-released in a remote location where he can meet other seals in the wild.
Image: Beverly Police Department