Wayward seal surprises boys fishing on Montreal's South Shore in Kahnawake
Three boys out fishing on the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River spotted a seal on Sunday morning, more than 1,000 kilometres from its natural habitat.
Roy Lahache is from the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake, and he was out with his friends fishing in the seaway, which runs parallel to the river when what appeared to be a harbour seal surfaced behind the St. Francis Xavier Mission Catholic Church in the community.
"There was a huge bass, and then out of nowhere, I saw something poke its head out of the water," said Lahache. "When we got closer, we noticed it was a seal."
The 13-year-old and his friends fish regularly in the area and have never seen anything like this before.
The boys ran along the shoreline, following the seal for several metres, but the seal went underwater and they lost it.
"It was crazy," said Lahache. "It was super crazy."
In August, seals tend to live in the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence, past the Gaspe Peninsula and closer to the Atlantic Ocean.
The seal is one of many visitors that have found their way off course and turned up in the Montreal area.
A small hooded seal popped up in Montreal in August 2020 and a bearded seal was spotted in Laval in June of that year.
A humpback whale became a sensation in the spring of 2020 as well, and in May of this year, two minke whales were spotted in Montreal.
The three whales all died before returning to their natural habitats.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.