A one-tonne elephant seal has returned to his birthplace in Tasmania on the Australian coast, causing quite a stir – and property damage.
The five-year-old aquatic mammal, called Neil, has a social media following twice the size of Tasmania’s population, and his antics include bending traffic bollards and blocking roads.
But officials are urging fans to give Neil space, fearing his popularity could lead to dangerous encounters. They have also urged locals not to post his current location.
Neil’s behaviour, such as picking fights with cars, is typical for juvenile seals practicing dominance. Experts say co-existence is key as Neil continues to grow and attract attention.
In June, the bellowing and blubbery mammal hauled himself onto land for his twice-yearly tour of beachside towns in southern Tasmania state after months of feeding at sea.
That is posing problems now that he weighs as much as a small car.
His rampage through local infrastructure has claimed bent traffic bollards, a sign warning the public about seals and a fence that did not survive Neil’s attempt to vault it.
The rest of the time he lies placidly any place he likes, which is sometimes the middle of the road, bringing towns he visits to a standstill.
Neil, the only male elephant seal to visit Tasmania in years, has commanded an enthralled TikTok following of 1.4 million in part because he acts like kind of a jerk.
His antics have prompted some online to hail Neil as a kind of anti-authoritarian hero. But experts say it is normal experimentation for a growing seal.
Sophia Volzke, an elephant seal scientist based at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, said juvenile male elephant seals need to practice for dominance battles in which adults rear up and crash their chests together as they compete for breeding opportunities.
With no other juveniles to practice with, Neil can only rehearse on Toyotas.
Local officials fear that Neil is the latest wild animal whose social media stardom has outgrown what is good for him.
“Neil’s fame is a bit of a double-edged sword,” said Kris Carlyon from Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, at a news conference in Hobart on Thursday in which he asked the seal’s fans to give him privacy.
“We have had some pretty silly behaviour, instances with people carrying their small babies up close to him and simply trying to get that shot for Instagram,” he said.
Officials have urged the public to refrain from identifying the town Neil is currently delighting or terrorising, depending on who you speak to. They fear a disastrous encounter between the seal and an admirer could force rangers into a risky operation to move him elsewhere.
Mr Carlyon also warned of worse. In a 2023 episode, a walrus known as Freya who drew huge crowds in Norway was euthanized after officials cited a growing risk to human safety.
“There is a risk here of essentially loving Neil to death,” he said.
