Seal visits cottage dock in Sulkava, Finland, delighting local resident

Last week, an unexpected visitor appeared at Minna Verho’s cottage dock in Sulkava, Finland. “I heard a splash from outside, and when I went to the dock, I saw a wet trail. I wondered if it really could be a seal,” Verho recalls. It turned out to be a Saimaa ringed seal. About a week after the first splash, Verho spotted the seal near her dock. It swam around for a long time and eventually managed to climb up onto the dock.

“We were probably holding our breath for about an hour, thinking we couldn’t move,” Verho describes. Eventually, hunger drove her to move, yet the seal remained undisturbed, lounging on the dock for several hours. By the time Verho went to bed, the seal was still there, but it had disappeared by morning. However, it returned on two subsequent evenings.

Mervi Kunnasranta, a seal researcher at the University of Eastern Finland, explains that sightings of Saimaa seals are not uncommon at cottage docks, especially this summer when the water levels in Lake Saimaa have been high, making docks more accessible to the seals.

During the seal’s visit, other wildlife was also present in Verho’s yard. Although her eight-year-old dog did not notice the seal, her cat was intrigued by the guest and even lounged on the dock alongside it, maintaining a respectful distance. “In peaceful coexistence,” Verho notes.

Kunnasranta advises against letting domestic animals get too close to seals, as they could transmit diseases that may be harmful to the seals. “If a seal appears sick or injured, it’s advisable to contact Metsähallitus seal experts to evaluate the need for assistance.” The population of Saimaa seals has increased over the past five years, particularly in the larger Saimaa region, with an estimated total of around 480 seals now.