- Title: Rare elephant seal delights beachgoers near Brazil's Ipanema
- Date: 14th July 2020
- Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JULY 14, 2020) (REUTERS) HELENA GENTIL BARRETO ARRIVING AT THE BEACH WHEN SHE TOOK PICTURES OF ELEPHANT SEAL ON SEA GENTIL BARRETO WALKING ON SAND CLOSE-UP OF GENTIL BARRETO FACE GENTIL BARRETO POINTING OUT THE PLACE WHERE SHE SAW THE ELEPHANT SEAL (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) LOCAL RESIDENT, HELENA GENTIL BARRETO, SAYING: "I thought I was dreaming, that I was going crazy, that only I was seeing the elephant seal, until I realized that the rest of the people were seeing it too. I thought it wasn't real. But the elephant seal was here, on the shore. It was very exciting."
- Embargoed: 28th July 2020 21:46
- Keywords: Brazil Rio de Janeiro animals beach elephant seal
- Location: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- City: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
- Reuters ID: LVA002CMS9GLF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL SHOT IN PORTRAIT
A rare elephant seal delighted Rio's swimmers and surfers on Monday (July 13), gracing the city's southern beaches close to Ipanema.
The elephant seal swam among surfers and very close to the shore at Arpoador Beach.
Rio's residents captured the moment when the mammal showed up on the beach.
According to local reports, the elephant seal was a young male.
Marine biologist, Marcelo Szpilman, said the elephant seal likely came up from Patagonia or Antarctica.
One of the largest threats to the elephant seal is large-scale fishing, with the mammal having to venture further from its natural habitats in search of food.
(Production: Sergio Queiroz, Liamar Ramos) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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