Videos

If you’re a wildlife photographer, you’re bound to have some close encounters with animals. Recently we shared a video where a photographer was stalked by a bear in the woods and now here’s a (slightly) less frightening encounter with a group of baby elephant seals.

Now even though they’re called baby elephant seals, these magnificent creatures are quite large as you can see in the video below. In the minute-long clip, a photographer is “squashed” by several seals in Antarctica who use her prone body as a comfy resting place.

Titled “The Hazards of Being a Wildlife Photographer” from ViralHog, the clip features Chris Bray and his wife Jess leading a photographic tour of Antarctica and South Georgia when things take a cute, hilarious and a somewhat awkward turn.

“It was while we were ashore in South Georgia on this huge gravel beach filled with King Penguins and elephant seals, that Jess laid down on the ground to get some cool low-angle shots of some passing King Penguins, when suddenly one of these huge baby elephant seals flopped over to investigate Jess, and was soon joined by another,” Bray says.

“Before she knew it, she was being squashed by several of these 100kg+ adorable animals, snuffling, burping, and sniffing all over her.”

According to Bray, the seals did the same thing with him and a few of the photo tour’s guests.

“A totally unforgettable experience,” he says. “You’re not allowed to go too close to the wildlife of course, but it’s a different story when they come up to you! Eventually Jess managed to extract herself from underneath these guys and escape."