Beverly Seal Shows Up At Police Station, Taken To Connecticut Aquarium

BEVERLY, MA — The Beverly seal that spent more than a week splashing around upper and lower Shoe Pond apparently went to the police seeking a little assistance finding its way home late Thursday night.

The gray seal dubbed "Shoebert" made its way out of the upper pond, across Cummings Center and to the area near the side door of the new police station.

Beverly police said officers on duty, Animal Control and officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "came to the rescue of Shoebert" and were able to get it in a special wildlife carrier "without incident."

"Shoebert appeared to be in good health and was a little sassy in the early morning hours," Beverly police said.

Police said the seal was taken to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut for observation and any needed medical care before it will be released back into the ocean.

NOAA crews were at Shoe Pond late Thursday afternoon with nets in an apparent attempt to either secure the celebrity seal visitor or at least persuade it to return to the lower pond closer to a culvert it could use to return to the ocean.

But after circling around the gray seal for several hours NOAA officials decided to let Shoebert be for at least one more night.

"Shoebert knew something was up!" Beverly fire quipped on social media. "We think the nets were a bit of a giveaway."

NOAA said it was consulting with "local stranding network partners" earlier this week to determine whether relocation is in the best interest of the gray seal that had made the Cummings Park pond its home for more than a week.

Beverly Animal Control Officer Matt Lipinski told Patch on Wednesday that Shoebert was "just happy kicking around and doing its thing" but that his office was prepared to support NOAA in any decision it makes in the interest of the seal's long-term health and continued to urge onlookers to respect the boundaries.

"Thank you Shoebert for having faith in the BPD," Beverly police said. " You will be deeply missed by your friends here.

"Over the past week you brought a lot of joy and happiness to our city. Feel free to come back and visit anytime!"

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)