BEVERLY, Mass. — A seal that had been spotted swimming in a Massachusetts pond several days ago has been relocated after leaving the pond and heading to the police department.

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The Beverly Police Department shared what it termed “Breaking Shoebert news” on its Facebook page, saying the animal left Shoe Pond and made its way to the side door of the police station.

“Shoebert,” as the seal had come to be known, was first spotted swimming in the pond on Sept. 15, WFXT reported. Beverly Animal Control and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration both responded.

“The seal does not appear to be in any type of distress and has the ability when it is ready to go back into the river,” Beverly Animal Control told WFXT at the time. “There is plenty of fish and water in Shoe Pond for the seal to hang out for a while.”

It’s unclear why Shoebert went to the police department, though police did describe him in their post as “a little sassy in the early morning hours.”

Beverly police worked with animal control officers and NOAA to move the seal into a carrier and transport him to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut for observation and any needed medical care, WFXT reported.

A NOAA Fisheries worker told WFXT that Shoebert is a male gray seal and is approximately 4 years old. He also has a small tag, which means he had previously been in rehabilitation.

NOAA had, with animal control and the Beverly Fire Department, previously attempted to “rescue” Shoebert, but he kept swimming away, WFXT reported.

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Seal leaves pond, waddles to police station A seal that had been spotted swimming in a Massachusetts pond several days ago has been relocated after leaving the pond and heading to the police department. (NOAA Fisheries)

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