Neil the Seal

Neil
SpeciesSouthern elephant seal
(Mirounga leonina)
SexMale
BornOctober 2020 (age 5)
ResidenceSouth East Tasmania, Australia
Weight1,000[1] kg (2,205 lb; 157 st 7 lb)
Notes
(estimated weight in 2026)

Neil (born October 2020),[2] also known as Neil the Seal, is a southern elephant seal in the Australian state of Tasmania.[3][4] He was born in Salem Bay, Tasmania.[5]

Neil gained fame in July 2022 after resting in Hobart for his month-long moulting period. While most people kept a safe distance, incidents of humans disturbing the seal led to traffic cones placed to protect him. Neil playing with the traffic cones attracted more attention to his unusual behavior.[3][6]

Later events saw Neil more closely interacting with humans, often leaving the beach and resting on the city's roads, or even following people.[3] In one instance in 2023, then weighing an estimated 600 kg (1,300 lb), Neil was found basking on someone's front lawn for a few hours in Hobart, preventing a local woman from accessing her car.[4] He was later relocated in April 2023 by officials of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment after people and dogs harassed him in Kingston Beach,[7][8] but by December 2023 he had reappeared roughly 112 kilometres away in the town of Dunalley, where local news reported his continued interactions with locals,[9] as well as the downing of a local real estate company's fence.[6]

He was reportedly seen again in good health near Hobart in May 2025, though local news requested that his exact location no longer be shared for his own protection.[10] Neil is an internet celebrity, having 208,000 followers on Instagram under the username "neiltheseal22" as of 07 July 2026,[6][11] and over 1,300,000 followers on TikTok as of 15 December 2025.[2] He is being monitored by the Marine Conservation Program, established by Tasmania's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, for health and safety reasons.[3][12]

In June 2026, estimated at 3 m (9.8 ft) in length and weighing 1,000 kg (2,200 lb), Neil returned to Tasmania to shed, attracting renewed attention.[13][1] In response to people approaching Neil to take photographs, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) warned residents to keep their distance, saying that although Neil is "not inherently aggressive", he is still a large marine predator and may lash out defensively. The situation was compared to that of Freya the walrus, who attracted crowds in Norway in 2022 and was shot over public safety concerns.[14][15] If he reaches maturity at age 12, Neil could grow to 5 m (16 ft) in length and potentially weigh up to 4,000 kg (8,800 lb), and become more territorial.[1] On 9 July 2026, authorities said Neil had likely returned to sea.[16] On 10 July 2026, in the coastal town of Seven Mile Beach, Tasmania on Tasmania's southeast coast, he was reportedly seen again.[17]

From 2025 to 2026, NRE Tas had spent about AU$45,000 (US$33,835) managing Neil.[18] In July 2026, Neil stayed for fifteen days in Clarence City,[18] during which Neil had caused about AU$31,000 (US$23,308) in damages.[19][18] This included flattening one street sign, knocking over ten traffic bollards, and crushing a section of fence.[18][19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Safety fears spark calls for better protections for Neil the seal". ABC News. 6 July 2026. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 "The Chaotic Antics of Neil the Seal Could Totally Happen in New England". WOKQ. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ross, Selina (28 July 2022). "Neil the seal's growing internet fame sparks warning from biologists for people to keep their distance". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 Touma, Rafqa (14 November 2023). "Neil the 600kg seal stops Tasmanian woman from going to work after taking nap in front of her car". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Moench, Mallory (22 December 2023). "The Internet's Newest Sensation Is Tasmania's Neil the Seal". Time. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Shafiq, Saman (22 December 2023). "'Neil the Seal', Tasmania's elephant seal, becomes a viral Internet sensation". USA Today. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Goodbye Neil". Tasmanian Times. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Albeck-Ripka, Livia (19 December 2023). "Tasmania Falls for Neil the Seal, a 1,000-Pound Beach Bum". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Neil the seal goes viral on social media, menacing locals in Dunalley, Tasmania". Seven News. 16 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Neil the southern elephant seal returns to Tasmania". Seven News. 23 May 2025.
  11. ↑ "neiltheseal22". Instagram. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Marine Mammal Incident Response | Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania". nre.tas.gov.au.
  13. ↑ Ibrahim, Husam (30 June 2026). 'Neil the seal' takes over Tasmanian towns. Retrieved 30 June 2026 – via CNN.
  14. ↑ Visser, Nick (2 July 2026). "Tasmanians warned of 'loving Neil to death' as 1,000kg seal's antics feed 'double-edged sword' of fame". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Gibson, Jano (1 July 2026). "Neil the seal's celebrity status putting him at risk, authorities warn". ABC News. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Gibson, Jano (9 July 2026). "Neil the seal 'may have moved on', Tasmanian wildlife experts say". ABC News. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Chung, Laura (10 July 2026). "He's Big, Loud and Unruly. Meet Neil, Australia's Celebrity Seal". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 James, Ethan (30 July 2026). "Neil the seal's beachside visit and damage bill tallied". Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 4 August 2026 – via Australian Museum.
  19. 1 2 "Neil The Seal's Wild Damage Bill Revealed After Month Of Chaos In Tasmania". 10 News. 30 July 2026. Retrieved 4 August 2026 – via YouTube.
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