Not quite the ‘Girl from Ipanema’, a fur seal’s rare appearance on Rio’s famous beach turns heads

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Short, and dark, and young, and tired, the seal on Ipanema was basking …

The fur seal on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic beach was turning heads of locals and tourists alike Wednesday morning — though not for the same reasons as the famous “Girl from Ipanema.”

The animal is often spotted along Brazil’s coastline during winter and spring, but rarely is it seen this time of year, a few days before the start of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer, said Suelen Santiago, a biologist who works at the company that monitors the beach.

“This year we’re having atypical situations,” she said.

Cordoned off by tape and flags, the young male seal became the main attraction on one of the world’s most famous beaches. Among the curious onlookers was Jordana Halpern, 29. She had never seen such a specimen and rushed to the beach when she heard it had been spotted.

“It’s cool, but it’s kind of sad. It seems like it’s not doing very well,” Halpern said. Almost as though hearing her, the seal moved more energetically, lifting its head and emitting a low sound. “Oh my God! It moved a lot!” Halpert said.

Santiago said they still don’t know why the animal ended up in Ipanema out of season, but wasn’t worried: “It’s just resting. The animal is very active, so he’s only resting, and soon it’ll head back to the sea.”