Leopard seal that attracted crowds at Petone Beach has died

A female leopard seal that became a local attraction after being seen on Petone Beach two weeks earlier has died, according to Hutt City Councillor Brady Dyer. The councilor announced the seal's death on Sunday night and said the Department of Conservation will retrieve the body on Monday. Observers had expressed concern that members of the public might be harassing the animal while it was on the sand. Conservationists posted on social media that the seal looked ill, echoing the ranger Melody McLaughlin's earlier comments about seals using the beach as a resting spot and returning to the water when ready.