Wildlife experts said that a harbor seal has apparently followed a run of herring, ending up at the Rancocas Creek in New Jersey.

Bob Schoelkopf, Marine Mammal Stranding Center founder, said that it's not atypical of seals to follow herring during spring and lose track of how far upstream they've come.

He said that seals have an attraction towards food, due to which as long as they are full they are happy. Once they run out of food, they’ll go back down into the Delaware Bay and back out into the open seas.

However, Rancocas Creek is not a common haunt for seals. In fact, Schoelkopf mentioned that probably the last time seals were in the area, a freshwater tributary flowing through Burlington County, may have been around 10 years ago. At that time, a carcass of a harp seal and a live hooded seal were discovered.

Whenever a seal is found, the discovery is kept secret to protect the animal's privacy. The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects the seals, so it is forbidden for people to approach them, even if to offer food.

If you come too close to a seal then it could be considered harassment, resulting in fines between $11,000 and $25,000. One could also face prison time for the violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

One needs not to worry about the seal because the Marine Mammal Stranding Center is closely observing the animal. Apparently, the seal has veered off course around three or four weeks ago based on the distance it traveled to get to the Rancocas Creek.

According to Schoelkopf, it seems like the seal also has developed a brown tint, may be due to the tannic acid from pine and cedar trees seeping into the creek's water. It is because when an animal has been in the water for some period of time then it starts absorbing the tannic acid's coloring effect.