Recently, Ukrainian polar explorers from the Antarctic research station “Akademik Vernadskyi” met a seal. He chose to rest on an old wooden boat on Deception Island.
A cute video of the meeting was published by the National Antarctic Science Center on Facebook.
Deception Island, where the polar explorers met seal, has a volcanic origin and looks like a horseshoe. Its maximum diameter reaches about 14 kilometers. Such a harbor is formed by the submerged caldera of a volcano that is still active.
From 1911 to 1930, a Norwegian whaling station operated on the island. In 1944, the British established a scientific base B here, using part of the abandoned buildings. It existed until 1967, when it was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. The base was restored in 1968, but it was finally closed a year later due to another eruption, Ukrainian polar explorers say.
They also told how a boat on which a fur seal was resting ended up on the island.
In the early 1990s, the British carried out a major clean-up of the area and removed fuel residues, batteries, hazardous waste, garbage, etc. At the same time, part of the buildings and artifacts that were not destroyed by the volcanic eruption remained on the island and are now considered a historical monument. In particular, the boat on which the fur seal rested, the report says.
According to polarists, the Spanish and Argentinian seasonal scientific stations are still operating in another part of the island. Our scientists landed on the island to collect samples of unique local vegetation.
Seals come to this area at the end of summer or beginning of autumn just to relax. But usually they do it on flat rocky areas or beaches. But for some reason this cat liked the boat. Perhaps he dreams of faraway travels? – it is assumed at the National Academy of Sciences.