Shoebert the seal leaves pond, 'walks' to nearby police station
Sep. 23—BEVERLY — The saga of Shoebert the seal ended on his own terms Friday.
After evading capture Thursday, the seal that has captivated the community for the past week climbed out of Shoe Pond in the middle of the night and dragged itself to the nearby Beverly Police Station about 2:30 a.m.
Police and environmental officials managed to get the seal into a special carrier and take him to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where he will be checked out and then released back into the ocean.
"He literally came right to the back door of the police station," Beverly Animal Control Officer Matt Lipinski said. "It's really funny."
The seal, who picked up the nickname Shoebert on social media, first arrived at Shoe Pond a week ago Friday after making its way up the Bass River and through a culvert that leads to the pond.
On Thursday, workers from environmental agencies spent most of the day on a small boat unsuccessfully trying to capture the seal with nets.
According to a post on the Beverly Police Department's Facebook page, Shoebert traveled through the Cummings Center parking lot and "came to the side door of the police station for some help" early this morning. Shoe Pond is located across the parking lot from the police station.
Members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Fund for Animal Welfare were called to the scene, along with Beverly Animal Control and the Beverly Fire Department. Shubert was packed into a special wildlife carrier and taken to Mystic Aquarium.
"Shoebert appeared to be in good health and was a little sassy in the early morning hours," police said on the Facebook page.
Lipinski said he's not sure why Shoebert decided to suddenly climb out of the pond. Earlier in the week, the seal had climbed over an embankment and knocked down a small fence to go from the lower Shoe Pond to the upper pond.
"At least he knew where to go for help," Lipinski said, referring to the police station.
Lipinski said people will miss Shoebert, who attracted crowds of onlookers every day he was in the pond. The seal was never in danger and had plenty of fish to eat, but Lipinski said it belongs back in the ocean.
"He brought a lot of joy to the community," Lipinski said. "He put a lot of smiles on people's faces. But that pond is not a permanent spot for him. Eventually something would have had to be done to get him out. This was the easy route."
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
