Seal or Sea Lion? Mystery Animal Spotted 600km Up River Odra

The news in Polish

1. rybak  (m.)
   osoba, która łowi ryby jako zawód lub hobby ↩︎
2. nagrać
   zarejestrować coś na wideo lub audio za pomocą urządzenia ↩︎
3. foka  (f.)
   morskie ssak z płetwami, które żyje głównie w zimnych wodach ↩︎
4. uchatka  (f.)
   morskie ssak podobny do foki, ale z małymi uszami i zdolnością do chodzenia na lądzie ↩︎
5. dotykać
   kłaść rękę lub inną część ciała na czymś lub kimś ↩︎
6. karmić
   dawać jedzenie człowiekowi lub zwierzęciu ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What type of people filmed the unusual animal in the River Odra?

Question 2: What should you do if you see the animal?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
rybak  (m.)	fisherman
nagrać	to record
foka  (f.)	seal
uchatka  (f.)	sea lion
dotykać	to touch
karmić	to feed

Read the full story

Fishermen in Lower Silesia recently filmed an unusual creature swimming against the current in the River Odra, sparking widespread coverage and debate about what exactly they had encountered. The animal was first spotted near Smolne in the Jemielno commune, and was subsequently reported in the areas of Malczyce and Wały Śląskie near Brzeg Dolny — all locations hundreds of kilometres from the Baltic coast.

Several outlets, including National Geographic Poland and RMF24, initially reported the animal as most likely a grey seal, the most numerous seal species in the Baltic Sea. Three seal species inhabit the Baltic: the grey seal, the common seal, and the ringed seal. Experts cited in those reports suggested that seals are capable swimmers in both salt and fresh water, and that such inland journeys, while rare, are not unknown. A similar incident was reported on the Odra in September 2016, when a seal was photographed near Brzeg Dolny with a large carp in its mouth.

However, a contrasting view has emerged. Paweł Sroka, head of the predatory mammals section at Wrocław Zoo, told Gazeta Wrocławska that the footage points to a different conclusion. “The recording clearly shows features of the body structure of animals from the eared seal family. The way it leaps out of the water is also characteristic of this family — seals do not do this,” he said. Sroka suggested the animal was most likely an African fur seal or a California sea lion, species that do not occur naturally in Europe and are native to the Pacific coast and southern Africa. He indicated that the animal’s presence was likely the result of human involvement.

One of the fishermen who captured the footage described the encounter on social media: “You’re fishing peacefully, you see something black jumping out of the water in the distance. You think it’s a catfish surfacing, you go closer to catch it, and it turns out to be… a SEAL.”

Whether the animal is a seal or an eared seal, experts advise the public to keep a safe distance, avoid feeding or disturbing it, and to keep dogs away. Anyone who spots the creature is encouraged to report the sighting to the Marine Station of the University of Gdańsk in Hel.