Really? You don’t have any more questions? Not even where I was the night of the robbery? Or how the stolen halibut wound up in my fridge? Or the dead zookeeper in the trunk of… but, you know, I’ve said too much already. Later!
Now the real story: This Northern Fur Seal was rehabilitated at the Island Wildlife Natural Care Centre in British Columbia and can’t seem to believe its luck at being released back to Nature.
My cockles are officially warmed.
I second that!
Me three!
I just love this. And I’m not sure why but I got a little choked up.
Me, too. Some sort of wetness in my eyes. Must be allergies.
Ditto. *wipes tear*
Me too! I think it’s because the little guy is all by itself going into the big sea – how will it find any friends?!
I was thinking that too – poor wee thing, I felt like he was thinking ‘But where is everyone? where do I go? I’m scared’
I would not worry too much, almost all seals have not only an instinctual sense of where to find their migration routes but also a radar like sense to find other seals once they get to those routes. I feel quite confident that this little guy will find plenty of friends especially since wild seal pods are almost always friendly to a new seal that wants to join them because it has no pod of its own. Because of this I am sure he will be just fine.
You soothed my worries. Thanks.
It brought a tear to my eye too.. just watching such a little guy head out into that big ocean. Beautiful, really!
Me too! I guess it was the sheer joy with which that little seal swam out into the ocean…
Me, three! He was excited at getting what he wanted (whatever that is). And of course, the flippity floppity…
“Flippers, don’t fail me now! Whee!!!”
i cried too
Sigh, maybe because once he started toward the ocean, he didn’t pause or look back even once?
*sniff*
yeah. not once.
omg I’m in tears. It’s because it’s PURE JOY.
Yes, he really looks so excited to be back to the ocean and free again!
i got choked up because i was afraid it was a huge snake and then it wasn’t…deeeeep breath…
At first I was like, “Huh, what, where am I?”
Then I was like “SMELL YA LATER, TURKEYS!” [flippity floppity, flappity flappity, SPLOOSH!]
lolololol
ROFL!!
.Godspeed, little seal!
Godspeed, little seal!
I would have been bawling if I were present.
Me too. Sniff.
Agreed. Hope he finds nice friends.
isn’t there a song like this: i hope you find friendsl…maybe leonard cohen.
dri ven nuts
here it is: ‘wild world’ by cat stevens
Ah, the Cat at his best. Those were the days…..
i always get sniffly when they release little beasties back into the world. aahhnnn.
Yeah, it´s like you can *feel* the joy yourself.
Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart
(OK so it’s a Nothern Fur Seal not a Sea “Lion” sue me, that’s what I hear in my head watching this little guy being set free)
That is exactly what I thought of too!
Actually if it makes you feel better, Fur Seals are super close to sea lions compared to ‘true’ seals. So you are more right than you think! If fact (if he’s indeed a ‘he’), this little guy’s gonna grow up to have a mane! I’m sure he’s gonna do great; he took to the water like… well, like a fur seal to water! ^^
Peek, peek, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!
That’s not a seal, that’s a Selkie! She’s put her seal-fur coat back on and gone home to her husband under the sea.
That’s our “middle child” cat’s name! Mostly because of her “blorp” shape…and being a seal-point/snowshoe pound-kitten. Selkies are the best!
Great, now I’m imagining this with the soundtrack for The Secret of Roan Inish again.
Gotta go dig out the dvd again.
There is another great movie called “Ondine” thats about selkies. Check it out- good for the whole family!
Missed the lyrical whimsy balanced by wives tales’ common sense for me but that fo could be due to my Sayles fixation.
I think the actress, Lynch, was typecast as a selkie. She was one in another movie with Scott Glen I think.
I have an eyeshadow called ‘ ondine’
but also a sea draped beautiful maiden, right? hmmmm
they don’t make eyeshadows that color tho…
***** SNIF*******
Tears!!
Go little guy, GO!!
I love that moment when instinct takes over and it goes from grateful inmate to wild creature. Smell ya lay-tah, suckahs!
Pure joy.
I would look exactly the same way if I were released back to my natural beach habitat.
i would look like that if i could just go to the dadburned beach before my time…
So long and thanks for all the fish!
perfection!
Douglas A: “You’re welcome little one!”
cute
Flappity flappity flappity.
Is that the ocean? It is, it is! Ocean ocean ocean ocean ocean… ::flip, flap, dive::
Ahh, little guy hasn’t even grown into his flippers yet. Squee!
+1… oh wait +1000
Happy video in the morning. Thanks for the great job.
The head-long hightailing it for the surf…just in case they change their minds!
Sweetest darned thing I’ve ever seen. Pure joy!
May he live LONG and Have many seal babies! (gives Vulcan sign).
”… when housekeeping reports the mini-bar has been emptied of all the herring and caviar there is going to be hell to pay. good thing i didn’t give then a credit card impression !”
and registered under the assumed name…
Oh my stinkin’ GOSH!
*snif*
*sob*
See ya’! *waves flipper at seal*
Hey, this is home! Is this real? Are you guys really that slow? They’re not stopping me… If I can just make it to the water, nobody will ever catch me again! It’s gotta be a trick. There’s a third guy behind me, isn’t there? Nope? Just you two chuckle-heads? I’m making a break for it! Uhoh, the dude with the giant eye machine is chasing me! I’m almost there, I can make it, I can make it! Once I hit that surf there’s nothing stopping me! I’m FREEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee ahahahahaaaaa!
“… oh, hey! SURF! I know that smell/sound/sight!”
Yayyyyyy!
…..I wanna set o’ flipperz …….
Got your credit card handy?
http://www.diversdirect.com/scuba/scuba-gear/scuba-fins/
YAY
Where are my comments going? where are they going, Fird? Can you tell me? I had a snappy reply to this, and it has passed into the ether! Or your comment mugged my comment, and dragged it into an alley!
I wouldn’t put it past Fird’s comments.
*enjoying the banter*
Theresa, pa-Russkie, ‘ya ni zhnayu”.
]
[which translates -- ROUGHLY -- into
"Huh? Ah dunno....
but it SOUNDS so much more continental and edyuficated!!!!]
By the way, didja see my demonstration/ solidarity rally, under your comment in a different recent column here?
I got the whole crowd swaying in solidarity, etc in outraged indignation over your exile to ModerashunLand ….
Wow! I’m so touched!
– it was a coupla days ago, under the
tough-guy boxer dogue, wearing the MIB shades, and with the post-surgery cone around his neck/ head –
*snicker* Who knew comments were so aggressive?
Haven’t you heard of the “cut and thrust” of repartee?
mine hide, then return. and the vids don’t work, esp. the Orb one…
we are awaiting a tornado here. high risk behavior: keep pc on…
Loose seal! Loose seal!
I just hope he hasn’t had a taste of mammal blood.
I love you.
I believe that was a Kenny Rogers song ; “You Picked a Fine Time to Leave me LooseSeal”
Much excellentness in that pun, Ali-baba!
Very nice. {polite golf clap}
He maybe thought it was some new medical thing when he first saw/smelled the water.. “what are they doing to me now.. salt bath? wait… wait… maybe this is the real thing.. can it be? naw. Maybe it is?? I’ll see if the hooman around the back of the crate here is going to grab me.. no? I think I’ll go for it.. yaaaayyy!”
nah. i bet he had genetic memory of the sea and everything around it in his little heart always. and when he got well and got free, it was like coming home.
it was coming home.
This just gives me a total warm, fuzzy glow.
That clip is full of Yay!!!
Thanks and I am soooooooooo outta here! Splash.
“So long, and thanks for all the fish!”
Sorry beat you to it 19 comments ago. With this crouwd you got to be fast
And whe you try to be to fast you get crouwd instead of crowd
Nevermind
eez ok, mon. I mangle myself into similar tangles on here frequently. Fortunately most of the CO peeps are about as harsh as marshmallows ….
[although there have been a few, notable,
narrow escapes....]
Hahaha, first I was going d’awwwwww… over the video, feeling a little teary-eyed (more than a little), and now you cracked me up by trying to correct a typo with another typo
Spelling errors make me happy! <3
: P
dagone: now i want some PEEPS, i mean a whole crate of PEEPS. did you know that if you expose them to the air for mebbe half hour they get kinda crunchy on the outside.
anyone got a credit card? i want the yellow chicks. the others look too toxic.
who started this marshmallow thing? whap, whap…(PEEP is also a respiratory term, as is BOOP. )
life in the hospital, how i miss it.
serious doc(1) : i think she’s got BOOP..
serious doc (2): i think must be. where is respiratory???? add some PEEP.
me: raht on, raht on…
both docs together: oh, just shut up, carole…
Hope the little kid makes it with no mom to show him/her the ropes….
Joining the sniffle crew here, please pass the tissues? …and prosper, little seal!
Not just a sniffle from me—full blown boo-hooing!
We must do more to protect and care for the environment and all the animals.
true and very well said, sam.
Reminds me of that classic Andy Griffith show.. “The (crate)’s empty, Pa.” “Yeah, but don’t the (ocean) feel nice and full?” snfff
Perrrrfect!
Oh man, I saw this last night and it made my heart dance in my chest. Then after watching the clip a couple of times I found MORE seal rescue videos, and yup, that pretty much was the rest of my night.
ain’t it the truth, marie. there must be a name for tube fascination. i find it very educational and sometimes filling needs. i am supposed to sing 10 songs everyday and youtube.com is the only place to do that. like karaoke. but as you say, that pretty much shoots it for the rest of the day…
“I love you, SEA!”
That may be the most excitement caught on film since the diner scene in “When Harry Met Sally.”
A touch melancholy. The SEAL realizes that his actions in Abbottabad have made him a prize target for the homeland’s enemies. Realizing he is a liability rather than an asset for the nation, the SEAL sets off into the wild seas, never to be seen again.
Amidst all the cute, heart-warming awesomeness of this…seeing that little ‘un hightailing it to the sea kind of made me think of a dog doing the butt-scootin’ boogie on the carpet.
Where’s Emo Pony??????
LOL check this out…. http://hipsterbeasts.tumblr.com/post/5397241534/round-is-the-new-square-according-to-hipster
God bless this little seal and his rescuters who nursed him back to health! It is a beautiful thing
Gotta love a happy ending!
Wait, does this cove have wifi? Where’s the closest Starbucks? Can I get Cantonese and Szechuan delivery here? Do the nail salons accept my Groupons?
Wait, you’re not coming back for me?
I think someone’s a little too acclimated to humans now.
This has to be one of the best videos of all time.
Ditto!!
Wow….
When he ran to freedom…
That made me cry.
Man, you people are spozed to make me feel BETTER, not make me get all weepy an stuff!
sheets anyway…
I´m FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Freedom spells bliss…… thank you for showing that-it serves as a metaphor for those in any situation who are trapped or feel trapped and are finally set free….It’s like-like the seal, trust your instincts, they’ll guide you to exactly where you need to be!!
I’m free! I’m free!! I’m Winston Bloody Churchill, & I’m FREE!!!
I love his look of stunned disbelief. I have this whole scenario in my head…
“Wait… really? The nice people at the Care Center told me that they would release me back home, but I never really believed it. Is this the moment? Really? It’s true? I feel sand under my flippers, the salty sea breeze against my nose… I’m home! THANK YOUU!!”
I cried a few times watching this, not gonna lie.
:~( :~( oh joy
He’s so cute, i feel i might die from the cuteness
the way he looks up at the camera before taking off, like he’s saying, Cheerio! Such adorableness 
<3
Ahhhh. This makes me happy. Such a good thing. At first, he’s all like, “But, ew, it’s raining and cold….” And then he’s all like, “SEE YA!!!!!!” Sploosh! Best wishes, little one. Now you know not all humans are bad ‘uns.
OOOOOOOOOOO it was skipping for joy on its way to the water!!!
Good bye little baby!!! 
This made my day! My favorite part was when he seemed to kiss the sand and then suddenly zoomed off into the water. Also, I love the logo of the place that rescued him. It is so cute!
After watching countless videos with a soundtrack (which I usually love for the creativity), I really liked the silence with this one. Gave me the sense of what it was like to be there – just surrounded by the sounds of the sea.
What a little cutie!!!! I loved his little flippers! Awww. I hope he makes it in that big ocean!