Australian officials ask fans to respect Neil's privacy

Australian officials ask fans to respect Neil's privacy

Neil, a 5-year-old elephant seal, has returned to the stretch of Australian coast where he was born, bringing with him a trail of fame, fans, and property damage. The 1,000 kg (2,200 pound) mammal has been making headlines with his antics, which include picking fights with parked cars and smashing through barriers erected to keep him off roads.

Neil's popularity has led to a social media following of 1.4 million on TikTok, with many hailing him as a kind of anti-authoritarian hero. However, experts say that his behavior is normal experimentation for a growing seal. Juvenile male elephant seals need to practice for dominance battles, and with no other juveniles to practice with, Neil can only rehearse on objects like Toyotas.

Local officials are concerned that Neil's popularity could lead to ill-advised human-seal encounters that are dangerous for both sides. They have urged the public to refrain from identifying the town Neil is currently visiting, fearing that a disastrous encounter between the seal and an admirer could force rangers into a risky operation to move him elsewhere.

Kris Carlyon from Tasmania's Department of Natural Resources and Environment has asked the seal's fans to give him privacy, citing instances of people carrying their small babies up close to him to get a shot for Instagram. Carlyon also warned of the risk of "loving Neil to death," citing the example of a walrus known as Freya who was euthanized in Norway in 2023 after drawing huge crowds.

According to Sophia Volzke, an elephant seal scientist based at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, it's usual for seals to return biannually to the place they were born to rest, fast, and shed fur. However, what's unusual about Neil is that he's the only male elephant seal hauling ashore in Tasmania. Sub-Antarctic islands south of Tasmania are home to breeding populations of elephant seals, and Neil's mother would have arrived from one of them to give birth.

Females have been spotted ashore in Tasmania before, but they don't cause the same kind of chaos as Neil, who could measure up to 5 meters (16 feet) in length and weigh triple what he does now if he survives to adulthood. However, about 90% of male elephant seals die before they reach a breeding age of around 10, Volzke said.

For now, Neil is occupying a stretch of sidewalk, unmoving and unbothered, sometimes canoodling with an orange traffic cone to the delight of his online followers. It isn't clear why he prefers that location, which he has returned to even after being ushered away by rangers. As one resident of the town put it, "He's one of our biggest exports at the moment. It's Neil's world and we're just living in it."

Volzke said that humans need to find a way to coexist with animals like Neil, who are repopulating areas that they were previously seen in. "He's obviously decided this puddle surrounded by bollards, which are horizontal at the moment, is his spot," said Carlyon on Thursday.