Minding Humphrey

Forest and Bird, Volume 21, Issue 2, 1 May 1990, Page 5

Minding Humphrey

A FOUR TONNE BULL ELEPHANT SEAL in a Tauranga Carpark is a rare and wonderful sight, but all that blubber could cause a nasty accident if provoked. So when he came to town, Tauranga Forest and Bird set up a "Humphrey minder" to see that the people and Humphrey didn’t get in each other's way. Humphrey has been around the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel beaches for five summers now, at a time of year when elephant seals should be heading south to the subAntarctic islands to breed. He is an elderly bull, perhaps too old to defend a harem of

cows from younger bulls, and seems to prefer summer in the warmer north. Despite his bulk and awesome mouth, an elephant seal eats only fish and shellfish and is unlikely to bite people, unlike the smaller and more dangerous leopard seal. However Humphrey could move very fast in a caterpillar-like motion, and the "minder" had to keep a path open to the sea should he retreat back to the water in a hurry. After entertaining crowds over Christmas, Humphrey left the harbour at the New Year. and has not been sighted since.