When people come to Wicklow, Ireland, they may stumble upon a scene that a huge seal flopping across the road and into a fish shop. Don’t be surprised because it’s normal there. Sammy the seal is a regular visitor of a local fish shop, and he returns every day to have a free meal.
Image Credit: Derek Byrne/Twitter
The Fishman shop is where Sammy gets his meals, 3 times a day. Alan Hegarty, the owner of the Lighthouse Restaurant and the Fishman shop, told that “People have the tendency to think he might be tamed, but he is not tamed. At the end of the day, he is a wild animal and we want him to remain that way.”
Image Credit: Wicklow Seafood Festival/Facebook
Sammy has been a regular at the fish shop since 2012; the locals even adopted him as a mascot later. Visitors to the town can buy a T-shirt featuring the seal to show that they spotted him in Wicklow. And in 2016, Sammy the seal went viral after just one video. It shows a staff trying to control him crossing the road with a chair. You can see the video below.
On the side of the harbor in Wicklow, local people put a sign which says “seal crossing” to alarm drivers. That’s the place where Sammy often jumps out of the water to get to the fish shop. To be fair, with a big “Fresh fish” sigh right next to the water, this is the kind of customer you’re likely to attract.
Image Credit: Sammy the Seal/Facebook
Sammy has his own Facebook page and you can find more photos and videos of him there. However, he’s still not available to reply to comments from fans, so sad.