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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.