Baffled cops saved a runaway seal pup in a busy town street before ‘jailing’ the cute marine mammal at a local animal foundation.

The rescue took place in the town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, in the US state of New York, on Sunday, 3rd April.

The Southampton Town Police Department (STPD) said: “Earlier today, Southampton Town 911 dispatchers received a call about a seal in the roadway at the traffic circle in Riverside.”

The police were reportedly told that the seal was loitering in the car park of a local liquor store.

After arriving on the scene, officers said the marine mammal waddled towards a hotel, where it was promptly taken into custody.

To let the detained seal cool off and reflect on its actions, the police kept it in custody at the Riverhead Foundation Rescue Center, where it was processed ahead of a possible release.

The STPD said: “Some of our officers responded and found a baby harbor seal in the roadway near the Budget Host Inn.

“Our officers were able to detain the seal until the seal was taken into custody by the Riverhead Foundation.”

It is unclear if the seal will be deported to a different region or released with restrictions in the local area.

The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is found along temperate and Arctic coastlines in the Northern Hemisphere, predominantly in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and in the North and Baltic seas.