Leopard seal makes a rare visit to Sydney's Bondi Beach
Winter beach-goers were greeted by an unusual guest at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Tuesday, when a leopard seal made its way to shore.
Leopard seals are normally found in Antarctica and rarely spotted in Australia, but sightings of the dangerous predator have become more common.
A rescue organisation was called to North Bondi about 2pm on Tuesday to deal with the large mammal after being alerted to its presence near the rocks.
Police said volunteers rushed to the beach, concerned about the danger the seal posed to the public.
Eastern suburbs police arrived at the beach an hour later and set up a 50-metre exclusion zone to control the large crowd that had assembled to look at the seal.
Rescue experts and local lifeguards then worked to isolate it from the public.
"The seal did not appear to be in distress and remains in the care of animal welfare officers," police said in a statement.
Leopard seals are solitary animals whose natural habitat is Antarctic pack ice, but some have been found as far north as the NSW Mid North Coast.
They have been known to kill people, and in NSW it is prohibited to come within 40 metres of a seal or 80 metres of a seal pup while on land.