An elephant seal that captured the hearts of Greater Victoria residents by repeatedly returning to busy public areas to moult is once again in the spotlight.
Emerson the elephant seal is the subject of a new children’s book that follows his adventures around the capital region, from lounging on beaches to being captured by officials and relocated elsewhere along the Island’s coast.
Vancouver author and illustrator Ginger Ngo said she fell in love with Emerson after reading news stories about his antics.
“The more I learned about him, the more it felt like it wasn’t just like a nuisance creature that was bothering people. It felt like he was actually really part of the community,” she said.
Everyone who was quoted in stories about the elephant seal seemed to describe him as “that neighbour that everybody knows,” Ngo said.
And she related to how he seemed to be drawn to the B.C. coast and the obstacles he faced to staying.
Born in Bowman Bay, off Fidalgo Island in Washington state, in 2022, Emerson first showed up in Greater Victoria the following year.
He was relocated from Whiffin Spit in Sooke, where he had settled on a busy walking path. He returned weeks later to a beach near Oak Bay Marina, where he kept police on their toes as he climbed stairs, crossed the road and took naps between parked cars before eventually swimming away.
Emerson returned a few months later, taking up residence under the Songhees Walkway in Victoria West and at one point climbing onto the pedestrian path, where he hauled out in front of a man on a mobility scooter.
After being herded into a bear trap and moved to an isolated spot, he turned up the next day near a campsite.
Emerson was back again last year, showing up first at Gorge and Admirals before visiting the office of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. He was relocated and returned several times until he earned a second trip to Nootka Sound.
Emerson has not been spotted this year, said a spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Given the timing of his previous visits, if he were to return to moult in Greater Victoria, he likely would have done so by now, but wild animals are unpredictable, the spokesperson said.
“The department’s hope is that Emerson has matured, gained some ‘street smarts.’ ”
Emerson is believed to be about 3 1/2 years old and has possibly gained hundreds of pounds on top of his estimated 2024 weight of 500 pounds.
A fully mature elephant seal can weigh well over 4,000 pounds.
Emerson’s story made Ngo wonder: “Who makes the rules about who gets to stay and who gets to leave?”
Originally from the Philippines, Ngo first visited Victoria as an 11-year-old tourist and returned to live in Vancouver with her college-aged sister a couple of years later, leaving her parents behind. Visa issues forced her to return to the Philippines to finish high school.
“I saw my childhood in the story. Complete strangers took care of us,” she said.
Ngo studied at Emily Carr University of Art and Design after graduating and has lived in Vancouver ever since.
Emerson the Elephant Seal is Ngo’s second book with Harbour Publishing. She illustrated Adventures in Desolation Sound, a picture book written by Grant Lawrence.
