A young seal has been putting in a rare appearance in a canal near the Muntgebouw in Utrecht. It is not clear how long the seal has been swimming around but according to experts from the Pieterburen seal sanctuary, the animal seems to be looking for a place to rest.

The seal, which probably ended up in the canal via the Merwedekanaal, is no more than three months old, Pieterburen coordinator Emmy Venema told local broadcaster RTV Utrecht.

He is at an age where his mother no longer looks after him, she said. “This seal has to look out for himself. As long as he’s ok, we cannot intervene. And if he has plenty of fish to eat, he will probably hang around,” she said.

It’s not the first time a seal has popped up inland. In 2015, a seal was spotted in the Oudegracht in Utrecht and another was seen in the river Lek last year.

Amsterdam and Rotterdam have also played host to a seal and in the Biesbosch nature reserve in Brabant, a seal has been swimming around for months, Venema said.

Venema has called on people to leave the seal alone. “Enjoy from a distance. And if something alarming happens, ring the Pieterburen sanctuary,” she said.