Massive seal decides to stop and lounge on Alaskan airport runway, and flies into our hearts

Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A 450-pound bearded seal was removed from the Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport in Utqiagvik, Alaska, on Monday after it got a little too comfortable on the runway.

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The sleepy seal was discovered by airport foreman Scott Babcock, who was clearing snow after a storm when he noticed the big ball of blubber chilling on the runway. He later posted this video to Facebook:

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“It was very strange to see the seal. I’ve seen a lot of things on runways, but never a seal,” Babcock told ABC News.

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According to Babcock, staff at the airport are “not allowed to handle or haze marine mammals,” which is why he decided to whip out his phone and capture some footage of the lethargic sea mammal while waiting for wildlife control to arrive and remove it, which they eventually did using a sled — because Alaska. Duh!

To compliment Babcock’s post, The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities added its own post about the seal on their Facebook page.

“This big guy decided to do a little wintertime sunbathing on the Barrow Airport runway yesterday,” the post began. “#alaskaproblems North Slope Borough Animal Control eventually removed the seal and air traffic was able to resume. Aircraft operators should continue to be aware of low sealings at our North Slope facilities.”

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