This elephant seal found itself stranded on a farm near Mossel Bay in South Africa two weeks ago on July 15. (There were heavy rains and flooding in the area and it had lounged around in the shallow waters near the coastline for too long.)
The seal is estimated to be about 8 years old and to weigh about 900 kg (2,000 pounds).
It is a little emaciated but it was given shots against rabies and a bacterial infection by a veterinarian from he Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team, and seems to be doing better.
Photos posted on Facebook by a group called Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team. S.M.A.R.T. was established in 2015 as a non-profit company (NPC). It consists of a group of volunteers who are passionate about the safety, survival, and care of stranded marine animals.
Elephant seals are deep-diving carnivores whose diet primarily consists of squid and fish, alongside opportunistic prey like rays, sharks, and octopuses. They spend about nine months of the year at sea hunting, diving into the dark depths of the ocean where they can consume hundreds to thousands of small fish daily. [Source: NOAA]
