A troop of Scottish kayakers picked up an unusual hitchhiker while they were paddling in the Firth of Forth, a Scottish estuary.
As you can see in the video below, they were out exploring when a seal began following them—eventually trying to board multiple kayaks.
The seal seemed to be after their snacks at one point, and at other moments appeared to be simply curious about the paddlers.
While the encounter was definitely exciting for the kayakers, National Geographic pointed out that people who find themselves in close quarters with these animals should not do what the Scots did—splashing the water to get the seal’s attention and reaching out a hand to touch it. Instead, they advised that you either remain super still or calmly paddle away—the seal won’t be hurt if it needs to make a quick jump back into the water.
Seals may be adorable, but it’s important to remember that they’re wild animals.
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