Animal incursions at remote Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport in Utqiagvik, Alaska are not uncommon but the latest discovery is a first for the airport.
Airport operations were halted for a while last week after a huge 450-pound bearded seal decided to go sunbathing on the runway.
Video captured by airport foreman Scott Babcock of the seal basking on the tarmac has since gone viral.
"On northern runways we see birds, caribou, polar bears … but no one recalls ever seeing a seal," Meadow Bailey, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities’ communications director, told Alaska Dispatch News.
Bailey said airport workers loaded it onto a sled which was dragged away with a snow machine before operations got back to normal.
Bailey said it must have traveled about a mile to get there, according to airport staff.
"Aircraft operators should continue to be aware of low sealings at our North Slope facilities," the agency jokingly posted on its Facebook page.
