Elephant Seal Stops Traffic in Brazil

Elephant Seal Stops Traffic in Brazil

In the Brazilian beach city of Balneario Camboriu in the southern state of Santa Catarina, residents and tourists were surprised to see an elephant seal on a busy street. The nearly 10-foot mammal stopped traffic for more than hour as it tried to make its way across Avenida Atlantica. Witnesses said the seal came out of the nearby Atlantic Ocean last Saturday afternoon and shuffled down the pedestrian crossing as if out for a stroll.

Police officers and firefighters splashed water on it to keep it wet. But it took its good ol’ time getting back into the ocean, and an hour-and-a-half later, the street returned to normal.

Mar 20, 2013 12:47 PM ET by Tracy Staedter