The Department of Conservation is warning beachgoers to stay out of the water and keep their dogs leashed after a leopard seal was spotted swimming close to shore at Oriental Bay.

Tony Milner, the marine reserve manager for the Department of Conservation (DoC) told the Herald the leopard seal was spotted earlier this morning.

“They’re very beautiful, but also very aggressive,” he said.

“It’s still swimming at the moment so we won’t do anything, but if it does crawl out we will probably cordon it and have some signs warning people to stay away.”

Milner said he was aware of reports some people were going into the water for a closer look.

“That is not a good idea. Their mouths can open 180 degrees, so you can only imagine the bite you would get. Stay away - and keep your dog on the leash because you’d definitely lose your dog.”

The leopard seal eyes a seagull on Wellington's Oriental Bay. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellington local Jack Arbuckle was out at the beach, about to do his daily cold plunge into the ocean at Oriental Bay when he came across the seal.

Not to be deterred, Arbuckle told the Herald he and his two friends went 100 metres down the beach to a safe distance and swam anyway.

 “We wanted to respect its privacy, so we made sure to swim away from it.”

Returning from their daily swim, regardless of the conditions, from left, Jack Arbuckle, Elin Fleming and Gareth Fletcher. Photo / Mark Mitchell

He said the trio definitely kept their eye on the seal, which Arbuckle said was about 2 metres long.

When told by the Herald that the seals can open their mouths 180 degrees, Arbuckle said that was “pretty scary”.

“That’s a lot of degrees - I’m glad I didn’t try and get a selfie or anything.”

It’s the third seal sighting in as many days in Wellington and Milner said DoC is being kept busy fielding 10 to 12 calls a week about seals.

The leopard seal on Oriental Bay. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Earlier this morning the 11.30am service from Wellington to Upper Hutt had to be cancelled due to a baby seal on the track and over the weekend an Eastbourne family had an adorable surprise when a baby seal curled up on their doorstep.

Milner told the Herald this time of year is pup weaning time for the seals, and calls like this one keep the team busy.

“We get calls very regularly, probably around 10 or 12 times a week. Some of those are the same seal, but it keeps us very busy.”

Milner said one of the staff on the train had called him for advice, and he had talked the man through how to safely relocate the pup.

“We ran through health and safety first so I warned him to be aware that they can bite - then I said just sort of, gently encourage it to move - we use a broom and just carefully encourage them, making sure to stay away from their heads.

“This one was just a little pup, so he’s picked it up and taken it away from the tracks and out of the wind and the rain.”

Ratana Waihi-Davies, the senior tracks manager for Kiwirail, was the man for the job.

He told the Herald the seal was sleeping between the tracks near Ngauranga where the track runs in between the motorway and the ocean.

“I walked up and put my coat over it, then scooped it up and put it in the back of the truck.”

The baby seal being released away from the train tracks. Photo / Ratana Waihi-Davies

Once the pup was safely stowed away Waihi-Davies drove it to a quiet area of shrubbery and let the baby seal go.

“There was nothing wrong with him, it just waddled away.”

Milner extended his thanks to Waihi-Davies, saying DoC is inundated with calls - so it was good to have someone who knew what they were doing help out.

It comes just two days after a Wellington household had an extremely cute surprise on Sunday when they found a young seal pup curled up on their doorstep.

The baby kekeno was resting up after travelling up the seawall stairs, across the road then up the footpath and driveway to nap on the porch of the Eastbourne home.

Baby seal sleeping at the backdoor. Photo/ Pete B

Milner said the seal population on the South Coast is growing and as a result seals are showing up in more and more places.

For most of these cases, Milner said there is no cause for concern.

“If they’re just lying there being a seal, there’s no need to worry 90 per cent of the time. We do nothing about it.”

The seal posing in the garden. Photo / Pete B

“They’re not helpless, they’re way more on to it than human babies that’s for sure.”

However, he warned that people should not be fooled by the seals’ adorable appearance.

“You have to be very cautious. They have a decent bite and they will bite you even though they’re very cute – plus they carry disease.”

He said people tend to “put human emotion” onto the seals – possibly because of how cute they are.

“People say they’re sad, or they’re hungry but they’re quite robust animals. They’re used to being in a cold and wet environment, so most of the time we leave them be.”

One of the most important things to do if you find a seal out of place on your property or elsewhere is to ensure dogs are on lead and controlled.

“If you do find an injured seal or a sick one, then call 0800 DOC HOT and we’ll come and get it,” Milner said.

The younger pups could often just be grabbed by the scruff of the neck and relocated, but older seals can be a bit more trouble.

“We have a big net and then we put them into a big sack where it’s dark and quiet, and they calm down.”

Vita Molyneux is a Wellington-based journalist who covers breaking news and stories from the capital. She has been a journalist since 2018 and joined the Herald in 2021.