A journalist sits down to take pictures of baby elephant seals. The seals lie down on top of him. You will laugh along with him at the experience.
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This YouTube clip of Irish journalist Charlie Bird‘s moments with baby elephant seals in Antarctica has got over 2 million hits. The video clip is from the RTE documentary “Tracing the journey of the famous Irish Antarctic explorer Tom Crean”.
According to Petapixel, here’s what Cool Antarctica says about interacting with southern elephant seals (in case you ever get a chance to):
Antarctic seals are generally completely unafraid of man despite the inglorious days of sealing when hundreds of thousands of them were killed for their fur and/or blubber. These days the recommendation is to stay considerably further away […] The only time these seals get very upset is if you approach them walking upright […] If you get down low as this guy has done, they are pretty much unfrazzled
Posted on Charlie Bird website.
Just a month ago I was in Cambria, California, looking down from the cliffs onto elephant seals. The pups were so cute, chubby and innocent, I thought about climbing down to walk around them. I’m sure the park ranger there would’ve had something to say about it. I’ll take this vicarious experience, instead: amazing.
That was really cool. Can’t imagine what it would be like to have that happen to me. Amazing