Dog walkers were in for a surprise early this morning with a seal found swimming in the North Esk River at the dog park.
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Kylie Nankervis took her dogs to the St Leonards park before 7am, where they ran down to the river and saw the seal swimming, seemingly oblivious to their presence.
When a dog barked, the seal got out of the water to get a closer look, before sliding back in and swimming around.
"It just looked at them, it must have felt safe around the dogs," Ms Nankervis said.
"It was swimming around, washing itself upside down, having a great time. It's not that deep in there, though.
The St Leonards dog park in suburban Launceston is a popular morning haunt with dog-walkers.
In 2017, an Australian fur seal was spotted in Kachina Court, Newstead. Wildlife rangers and City of Launceston staff were required to relocate the seal weighing up to 180 kilograms, taking about two hours to get under control.
Seals are known to swim up the Tamar River in search of native fish.