"Seal pulls 5-year-old from dock"
By saundyl
@saundyl (9783)
Canada
September 3, 2009 11:16am CST
I was suprised when my dad told me had seen this article I thought he was pulling my leg so had to go look it up!
(link to article (not a referral! http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/canada/2009/09/03/10729286-sun.html)
"A five-year-old West Vancouver girl is traumatized but OK after being dragged into the water by a seal Tuesday night.
Her father, Mike Cunning, was cleaning fish at a marina when he heard a splash. He wasn't overly concerned, thinking his daughter, Caleigh, had just slipped off the dock.
"I thought; 'Well, she's got her lifejacket on, she'll bounce to the surface,'" he said. "But she didn't bounce to the surface. So I ran over, and she popped up."
Cunning said his neighbour saw the seal jump out of the water, grab Caleigh by the hand, and drag her in. "She had some profuse bleeding from her hand and she's got four deep puncture marks around her wrists," he said.
She was treated at hospital and released.
After the incident, Caleigh asked her dad why the seal had pulled her into the water.
"I said; 'It probably thought you had food in your hand.' But she was still upset about it," Cunning recalled.
I found this in another article about the same incident on CBC "After the incident, she told her father she thought it was very rude of the seal not to ask if she wanted to go for a swim, and she doesn't want to feed the seal or be its friend anymore."
Its so cute that she said that. Have you ever heard of a seal trying to take a child before. I've heard of them grabbing dogs. My mom jokingly said it must be a silkie not a seal.
1 person likes this
4 responses
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
4 Sep 09
Hey saundyl~ This story really really is disturbing for a
number of reasons! The fact that the seal would come up to
the docks and pull a child in the water for one thing. The
second fact is that the father wasn't concerned because his
daughter had on a life jacket? So what, he still should have
stopped what he was doing immediately to make sure she was
alright, life jacket or not! And apparently she wasn't! Not
only was she traumatized, but the seal had bitten her while
dragging her into the water! How do you turn your back on
a five year old child near the water anyway? Not too smart
of the father! Luckily the child wasn't badly hurt!
2 people like this
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
4 Sep 09
He was very lucky she wasnt badly hurt. I wondered why he wouldnt have been concerned right away and fishing her out. It seemed odd to me that he lft her at the edge of the dock while he was cleaning fish. I remember being that little and my granddad cleaning fish we always wanted to see what the fishie ate!
@ferdzNK (3211)
• Philippines
3 Sep 09
Hi Saundyl, Never been near them actually, know any particular habit of theirs or read something like that. Experience thought me a general rule about animals that don't know me, don't provoke or bother them and it will not bother me. My first dog bite experience happened when I was seven. I pinched my sandwich and throw it to my aunt's chained dog, it fell off a bit short and when I reached for it and toss it, it bits me. Very few animals would know the difference especially young ones.
2 people like this
@prinzcy (32299)
• Malaysia
4 Sep 09
That's a new one. I often heard about more dangerous sea creatures to do such thing, but seal? Maybe that creature mistaken her hand for something that look like its food (whatever that is) It's a good thing that she's alright. How did his dad assume she'll bounce to the surface? It's true she had a life jacket on but be more scared please, Mr Cunning! Something worse might had happen! If it were me, I probably freak out and run like a maniac to where she fell.
1 person likes this
