Police closed a section of Beach Drive in Oak Bay on Sunday morning so that officers could coax local celebrity elephant seal Emerson back onto the beach.
Oak Bay police said just after 10 a.m. that they had closed Beach Drive between Windsor and Currie roads due to Emerson’s presence.
“Efforts are underway to move him back down to the beach to avoid an accident,” police said in a statement.
Fisheries officers were en route to help corral the 500-pound creature, and the road will be reopened once Emerson is safe, police said.
Police said they reopened the road just before 1 p.m. after Emerson returned to the water.
Born in January 2022 in Bowman Bay in Puget Sound, Emerson gained a loyal following in Victoria when he spent about a month moulting near the Oak Bay Marina last year.
Emerson has been relocated multiple times by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, most recently to a remote beach on northern Vancouver Island on April 5.
That didn’t stick — fisheries officials said that the two-year-old elephant seal swam about 34 kilometres a day to return to Victoria-area waters in less than a week.
Emerson is known to climb stairs and cross roads. Officials said this month they are no longer looking at moving Emerson away from Victoria and are planning for shorter relocations if needed.
Volunteers have been hanging around the moulting seal to make sure people keep their distance as Emerson looks to shed both hair and skin.
Disturbing marine mammals under any circumstance is prohibited under Canada’s fisheries regulations. Fines can reach $100,000 and are regularly issued in the thousands and tens of thousands of dollars, the DFO has said.
Reports of marine mammal harassment can be made at 1-800-465-4336 or by email at DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
mjlo@timescolonist.com
