Seals took over a California beach during the government shutdown

[Borealis]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/01/31/these-seals-took-over-california-beach-during-shutdown-wont-give-it-back/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d5ccefa23f39

It’s unclear whether the initial incursion happened stealthily at night or brazenly during the day — though authorities are almost certain the invasion occurred by sea.

And federal employees who returned from the month-long partial government shutdown decided that it was probably not worth the effort to relocate the roughly 90 individuals
involved. That’s because some of them were pregnant or newborns, and all of them were opportunistic elephant seals that have taken over what used to be the tourist area of Drakes
Beach, Calif.

Park officials have used a decidedly low-tech method to enforce an armistice between the mammal species: They waved blue tarps to annoy the seals away from the areas most
popular with Homo sapiens. The annoying tarps were an effective plan, usually chasing all but a seal or two away from the beach, which is a 90-minute drive from San Francisco.

But the federal government apparently does not regard the tarp-wavers as essential federal employees, so the workers who did it were among the 800,000 furloughed.
During that time, according to the Chronicle, high tides and storms battered the seals' normal habitat.

For the humans of Drakes Beach, it might not be a total surrender. Dell’Osso said staff members are exploring the possibility of offering guided tours of the Drakes Beach elephant seal
colony.

[God of the Grove]

Seal Team 6

[Janeway]

I honestly think this is way cooler tbh.

[alphatwo]

Honestly I hope they keep it, we have a similar situation in San Diego in which seals took over a small beach in a wealthy area in the 90s, and there's been movements by the rich locals to kick off the seals and turn it back into a beach every couple years. IMO being able to see how marine animals you don't typically see live and interact with each other in a (relatively) natural habitat is much more interesting then simply having another beach to go to.

[Pax]

I was sure form the headline this was some furloughed Navy Seals who just said "Fuck it, let's occupy this beach." while they weren't getting some paychecks.

[Stormbuster]

"In order to occupy the shoreline, the Navy Seals utilized a Coast Guard."