Neil the 2,200lb seal goes viral with 1.4m followers as officials warn leave him alone

Neil the elephant seal has a TikTok following of 1.4 million – more than double Tasmania’s human population – as Australian officials urge fans to give the viral wildlife sensation some space

A 2,200lb elephant seal called Neil has gone from a local celebrity to a worldwide sensation on TikTok for being a walking disaster for Australian locals. Every June, 5-year-old creature drags himself onto shore for his biannual visit to seaside communities in southern Tasmania.

With a social media following of over 1.4m, his fanbase exceeding twice Tasmania’s human population. Neil may look adorable but he is a pretty destructive force. Neil has amassed quite the list of crimes during his visits and has constantly be found as the source for hold ups in traffic.

There has been damage to local facilities, traffic bollards, a fence and even cars are not safe form his wrath. Although most of the day, he is usually laid relaxing in a single spit, sometimes in the middle of the road.

However, with Neil’s meteoric rise on social media, officials have had to issue a warning for people to just let him be after reports of several reckless interactions..

There has even been reports of small babies being placed close to the huge seal for Instagram snaps.

Kris Carlyon from Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment told a news conference yesterday (July 2 that “Neil’s fame is a bit of a double-edged sword.”

She added: “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.”

Neil, the sole male elephant seal to visit Tasmania in years, has been hailed online as a kind of anti-authoritarian hero. But experts say it’s normal experimentation for a growing seal.

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, said Sophia Volzke, an elephant seal scientist based at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. With no other juveniles to practice with, Neil can only rehearse on cars.

Authorities have urged the public to avoid revealing which town Neil is currently entertaining or terrorising, depending on who you ask. They’re concerned a catastrophic encounter between the seal and a fan could force rangers into a dangerous operation to relocate him elsewhere.

Carlyon also cautioned of something far worse. In a 2023 incident, a walrus called Freya who attracted massive crowds in Norway was put down after officials cited an escalating threat to public safety.

“There is a risk here of essentially loving Neil to death,” Carlyon said.

Neil often has a trail of rangers, police officers and security guards who trail behind him. Should he survive to maturity, Neil could stretch up to 5 metres (16 feet) in length and weigh triple what he does now.

Nevertheless, approximately 90% of male elephant seals perish before reaching breeding age at around 10, Volzke said. For now, Neil the seal is claiming a section of pavement, motionless and completely unbothered.

Occasionally he snuggles up to an orange traffic cone, much to the joy of his online admirers. It remains unclear why he favours that particular spot, which he keeps returning to despite being moved on by rangers.

“He’s obviously decided this puddle surrounded by bollards, which are horizontal at the moment, is his spot,” said Carlyon on Thursday. His supporters can sympathise but locals have conflicted opinions.

“He’s one of our biggest exports at the moment,” said Dale Creamer, a resident of the town that the seal is currently wreaking havoc in, who hasn’t been personally affected. “It’s Neil’s world and we’re just living in it.”

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