Police deputies in California took some time off from their daily schedule to help a massive elephant seal get back into its pond after it was found stranded.

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office deputies were surprised when they came across the seal on a highway, on the opposite side of the road on which the pond was located. According to The Tribune, the deputies called California Fish and Wildlife and the Marine Mammal Center to help return the lone seal back to the beach.

It was thought that the young male seal lost a fight with an older bull seal and had ended up on the other side of the road.

Both the policemen and the officials from the centre used paddles to direct it back to its home. A video of the seal’s ordeal was posted by the sheriff’s office on its Facebook page.