
Elephant seal Emerson extends Victoria city break, defying relocation with 200km swim
VICTORIA — Emerson the elephant seal is back in Victoria after defying attempts to relocate him and swimming more than 200 kilometres to return to his preferred urban habitat to moult.
The Fisheries Department says the 225-kilogram seal swam an “astonishing” average of 34 kilometres a day during a six-day journey, after the failed relocation to waters near Vancouver Island’s Barkley Sound on April 5.
Fisheries officer Morgan Van Kirk said he was “blown away” by news that two-year-old Emerson had returned to Victoria last week, lounging on a beach during his annual moult, a process in which elephant seals shed their fur and top layer of skin.
“To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I got the email over the weekend and couldn’t believe it,” said Van Kirk, recalling the moment when reports came in that Emerson was back in town.