Seal continues its tour of Netherlands; Now spotted in Aalsmeer
An adventurous seal seems to be on a tour through the Netherlands’ inland waterways. After being first spotted in the canals of Utrecht and then Amsterdam, the animal has now surfaced in Aalsmeer.
Friends Siem and Mitch, 13, first spotted the seal swimming in a ditch between the Ringvaart canal and the Uiterweg canal on Saturday. “Siem proudly told us he’d seen it,” his mother told NH Nieuws. The family often spots seals when vacationing on Vlieland. “He’s thrilled that he’s spotted one so close to home.”
A kitesurfer spotted the seal again on Sunday, a little further along in the Weesteindersplassen.
Emmy Venema of the Pieterburen Seal Sanctuary confirms that it is the same seal. “We can see it from certain features on the body, such as the spot pattern and two bald patches on the right side of the neck,” she told NOS.
The animal still appears to be in good health, so the seal center is not intervening. The seal can survive perfectly well in inland waters, Venema said. “They are opportunistic animals. They eat many different types of fish.”
Pieterburen again urged people to stay away from the animal.
