Edmonton Journal

Gift of baby seals seals international friendship

CanWest News Service

Friday, August 17, 2007

MOSCOW - Prince Albert of Monaco will be bringing back two babies from Russia-- a couple of rare freshwater nerpa seals gifted to him by a government official, Russian agency ITAR-TASS reported Thursday.

A Siberian regional official gave the prince the seals, which he promised to take good care of, according to an aide to the Irkutsk regional governor.

The seals, whose usual habitat is Baikal Lake in Siberia, will go to a new home at the Oceanography Museum in Monaco.

The seals differ from their seawater cousins as they have a more compact body, enabling them to float better in freshwater. They have long claws that help them grab ice and rocks.

Albert met Russian President Vladimir Putin in a former imperial palace near St. Petersburg before going on a fishing trip with him in Siberia last Monday.
© The Edmonton Journal 2007