Following in the tradition of Babe and Finding Nemo, one young animal has found himself on an adventure -- a long, long way from home.
On Tuesday, a baby fur seal was found at a cattle farm in Bletchley, South Australia -- more than 35 kilometres from the coast -- with authorities absolutely baffled as to how he got there.
Farmer Eric Neumann found the little guy early Tuesday morning hanging out with his cattle herd, Seven News reported.
"The cows were causing a bit of a ruckus," Neumann told the television station. "They were mooing and carrying on."
"An absolute mystery ... I've not seen this sort of thing ever before in my entire life," he said.
Animal rescuers called to the property recovered the little buddy in good health -- although he weighed 8 kilograms, just half of his proper mass. He's now recovering at Adelaide Zoo.
National Resources SA Murray-Darling Basin district manager Sarah Lance told the Western Advocate the animal was likely an Australian sea lion in his juvenile brown fur phase.
While he may have waddled all the way from the coast, authorities haven't ruled out that the pup was abandoned by some horrible human being. "If he has been dumped, I think it's a cruel act," Neumann said.
Given his ordeal and young age, the pup is unlikely to be returned to the wild, at least for now, Lance told the newspaper. "He’ll have an interesting life, and he’s had an interesting day," she said.
"He’s definitely the most interesting thing I’ve had a phone call about."