A seal living at the Vancouver Aquarium met her very famous namesake this week in an adorable collision of worlds.
Actress Jessica Biel shared a photo on Instagram on Thursday of her visit to the Vancouver Aquarium, where she met Jessica Seal.
“Thank you [Vancouver Aquarium] for this experience and all the work you do — it’s not every day you get to meet an animal named after you!” she wrote.
Biel described the seal as “thriving” at the aquarium, where she’s been given a second chance at life.
Biel also shared a video of one of the Vancouver Aquarium’s staff members speaking about Jessica Seal’s personality. Apparently she can be mischievous — often interrupting staff as they try to clean the enclosure.
Jessica Seal was found emaciated and lethargic on Kitsilano Beach in February 2019 with 23 birdshot pellets embedded in her face.
“We have no way of knowing who did this,” Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium, said at the time. “I can tell you that she’s been suffering for several weeks, and we don’t know if she’s going to recover her eyesight enough to be released.”
As it turns out, Jessica is now blooming at the aquarium and even meeting celebrities.