Neil the Seal, a Mixture of Cuteness and Chaos in Tasmania

The 1,300 pound southern elephant seal, affectionally known as Neil the Seal has become an internet sensation due to his mischievous behavior.

His naps are much more important than the residents of Tasmania’s desire to travel the local roadways and he isn’t a big fan of traffic cones, often destroying them. Apparently, the fence of a real estate company picked a fight with him, but Neil showed it who was boss.

He’s only doing what kids do, as he’s only three years old.

Resident Amber Harris had to call in to work because Neil decided that the area in front of her car was the perfect place to rest.

“He’s outside having a little nap,” she told ABC Radio Hobart.

“He has moved around. He’s been on my front deck, he’s had his little head — well, big head — up on my hammock and he’s now down blocking my car.”

She was told by a wildlife expert that the chances of luring him away from her car with food were slim, as when seals come onto land, they are usually there for three to four weeks.

His adventures are documented on an Instagram channel and are followed by more than 63,000 people. His “celebrity status” has also started bringing in the dough from merchandise being sold with his likeness such as t-shirts and plushies.

Neil first gained attention by playing with traffic cones and taking a little nappy nap near the capital of Tasmania, Hobart, in July 2022. Wildlife biologists at the Marine Conservation Program had identified him in March 2022 as being the same male pup that had been born on the Tasman peninsula two years earlier.

Even though the public was warned that while super cute, the half-ton animal could be dangerous, people continued to people and would gather close to the seal. Even more intelligent people brought their dogs to the area, who harassed him. Local authorities tried to manage the situation, but they realized that some dummy was eventually going to be injured and blame Neil, so they decided another approach would be best.

In April 2023, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, out of concern for public safety, relocated Neil to a potentially safer location in the southeast. However, as usual, animals are smarter than humans, and Neil just made his way back to the area. He probably had a score to settle with a “No Swimming” sign.

On a serious note, ecologist Clive R. McMahon believes that the reason Neil sticks so close to the area is that he’s actually lonely. They think that he was born on a beach near the city and lost his mother shortly after his birth. He most likely didn’t have other young seals to socialize with.

It’s the Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s goal to protect Neil and the Tasmanian residents. That said, they placed a tracking device on top of Neil’s head to monitor his location and travels.

They are hoping that once he reaches sexual maturity at about 10 years of age, that he will travel to one of the three elephant seal breeding grounds in the area. By then, Neil could be 13–16 feet in length and up to 7,720 pounds. Add in sexual frustration and you have a recipe for disaster, for Neil and humans.

We don’t know what lies ahead for Neil, but we can only hope that the experts in the area do what they can to keep him and the residents safe. While it’s less likely, we also hope that people will use common sense when in the area of large animals.

“We need to remember these are wild animals,” said Mary-Anne Lea a professor from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.

“It’s OK when animals are cute and interacting in generally safe ways, but then they become bigger and other natural behaviours kick in — along with their hormones — and you can start to have interactions that you are less fond of,” she said.

The Instagram account featuring Neil was originally created for “Tassie locals” and their children so that they could learn about elephant seals and specifically Neil’s behavior. As of December 2023 however, they stopped posting his up-to-date locations to help ensure his safety. +1 for the humans!

Neil gets my “seal” of approval — most people, not so much.

***Story previously published on Medium.com by the author***