Seals, as it turns out, are surprisingly clever about finding warm, enclosed spots when they feel tired or disoriented. A seal’s normal behavior is to rest on beaches or rocky outcrops, but when a pup is exhausted, they don’t have the luxury of being picky. A plastic bin, especially one left out overnight in a cool climate, offers insulation and protection from predators—even if the neighbors’ recycling is a questionable bedfellow.
The RSL bin in this specific incident was located near a canal system that connects directly to the ocean. Wildlife experts suspect the pup swam up a creek, got turned around, and then followed his nose to the closest cave-like structure—which, in this case, smelled faintly of tin cans and stale beer. “It’s not the weirdest den I’ve ever seen,” one rescuer joked to local press, “but it’s definitely the most Instagrammable.”
The Rescue: A Lesson in Tuna Negotiation
Getting a stressed seal pup out of a bin without turning the scene into a slapstick comedy requires patience, a giant towel, and what rescuers call “the tuna bribe.” The team first had to secure the site, which meant shooing away a small crowd of concerned neighbors and their dogs—a task easier said than done. Seals are remarkably fast on land when motivated, and Binji was not in the mood for a photo op.
After a twenty-minute standoff, during which the seal pup periodically barked in protest (which sounds like a grumpy old man clearing his throat), a rescuer gently draped a blanket over his head. This is a classic animal-handling trick because seals calm down when they can’t see the chaos around them. Once swaddled, Binji was placed in a ventilated carrier and driven to a rehabilitation center, where he was given fluids and—you guessed it—a plate of premium herring.
Seal pup found on rubbish-strewn beach is rescued
