Sunning seal steals Sydney opera show

Sydney - A wandering fur seal was the star attraction at Sydney's iconic Opera House on Thursday as it basked in the warm spring sun on the building's steps.

Hundreds of delighted onlookers took photographs as the seal lazed for most of the day on the VIP steps leading into the water, taking occasional dips in the harbour to cool down.

Wildlife officers said the arrival of the three- to four-year-old male New Zealand fur seal in Sydney Harbour was a sign the seal population was recovering from near extinction in the late 1800s.

"This seal has found other seals that it can associate with, and of course it will remember how comfortable it was here and it will probably come back every year," wildlife officer Geoff Ross told broadcaster ABC.