Seal rescued from Tuatapere paddock

A Southland family who rescued a fur seal were told to ‘‘let nature take its course’’, instead of taking it home and releasing it back to sea.

The family says the Department of Conservation could have helped.

However, DOC says the family may have been in breach of the Marine Mammals Protection Act - a potential $250,000 fine.

Tuatapere resident Dee Knapp said he was out doing a morning check for new lambs when he noticed something unusual.

‘‘I saw this little blimp in the back of the paddock.’’

Knapp called the seal Lucielle, a play on Lou Seal.

He took Lucielle inside his home, keeping it there from 10am until 4pm so his children could see it after school.

Lucielle had a good time investigating the family home before falling asleep on the couch, he said.

‘‘[It’s] taken quite a liking to me, but [it] does snap a bit,’’ he said.

He’d defrosted some fish for the seal but, while it did open its mouth, it wasn’t grabbing the food.

Knapp said he had about 10 visitors through his home yesterday to see Lucielle.

Knapp said DOC had told him that they should leave the seal alone, and to ‘‘let nature take its course’’.

‘‘But we said we’ll do it ourselves and if they’re not going to help, ‘ we will do it for you’.’’

Dee’s wife, Sandie Knapp, said when the seal was released, it would find its family

‘‘We’ve made a fairly good risk assessment,’’ she said.

‘‘We didn’t do it because it was cute and we wanted to cuddle it. We did it because it was the right thing.’’

When the family released Lucielle into the water, it swam away happily.

DOC marine species and threats science advisor Laura Boren said seals were fully protected under the Marine Mammals Protection Act.

‘‘It is an offence amongst other things to harass or disturb marine mammals, and offences carry penalties of up to $250,000.’’

It was currently pup-weaning season for New Zealand fur seals, she said.

The seal the Knapp family rescued looked about eight months old, she said.

‘‘It’s not uncommon to find them along our shorelines at this time of year. In Southland they’ve been found as far inland as Edendale in the past.’’

DOC had a ‘‘hands-off’’ policy for seals, and would intervene only if the animal was in obvious danger, Boren said.

‘‘Our advice is to never touch or handle a seal - they can be very aggressive if threatened - and it is also a breach of the Marine Mammals Protection Act.’’

A seal’s natural environment was cold and wet. Removing them or taking them inside was ‘‘very detrimental’’ to their health, she said.