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Despite causing chaos, Neil the Seal has become a local celebrity in Tasmania, but wildlife officials are now urging fans to keep their distance from the 1,000kg marine mammal.
The southern elephant seal, who was born near Hobart in 2020, returns to southern Tasmania every single year to rest after feeding in the Southern Ocean.
His visits have earned him a huge online following, with locals frequently sharing photos and videos of him during his annual stopovers. Neil can often be found lying in the middle of the road, or even wrecking fences and bollards.
With his latest trip to Tasmania underway, wildlife officials are now warning fans to give Neil a little space and not get too close if they do spot him out and about.
Fans urged to steer clear of 1000kg seal in Tasmania
According to Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, there have already been cases of people “carrying their small babies up close to him and simply trying to get that shot for Instagram,” Dr. Kris Carlyon told The Guardian.
Although Neil often appears calm and playful, officials stress he’s still a wild animal weighing around 1,000kg, with the potential to grow to 3,500kg. If the public shows too much interest in the seal, Carlyon says there is a real risk of “essentially loving Neil to death.”
“He can look cute, cuddly [and] placid, but he’s a large marine predator,” he continued. “We certainly wouldn’t be approaching things like polar bears [and] bison in other parts of the world.”
It’s the man, the legend and ungovernable Neal the seal. At this point just put up road crossings signs and do a gofundme to cover the repairs in town. Neal is everywhere it the ocean 🦭 🌊 😂 pic.twitter.com/ZRMwmENaK1
— Bobbi (@kittenaround_51) July 1, 2026
Onlookers are being asked to stay at least 20 meters away from Neil, or 50 meters if dogs are present or, and never block his path back to the water.
Neil’s return trips are unusual because most southern elephant seals spend their lives on remote subantarctic islands rather than mainland Tasmania.
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As elephant seal expert Dr. Clive McMahon explained to The Guardian: “Neil was born in Tasmania, near Hobart, and he thinks that’s where home is because he doesn’t know where Macquarie Island is. And he doesn’t have a map.”
For more animal news, be sure to check out the hero dog who saved its family from a burning farmhouse, and the cat that chased away a bear.
