| Neil | |
| Species: | Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) |
| Weight Kg: | 600 |
| Residence: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
Neil (born October 2020),[1] also known as Neil the Seal, is a southern elephant seal in the Australian state of Tasmania.[2] [3] He was born in Salem Bay, Tasmania.[4]
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.[2]
Later events saw Neil more closely interacting with humans, often leaving the beach and resting on the city's roads, or even following people.[2] In one instance in 2023, Neil was found basking in someone's front lawn for a few hours,[3] while another instance downing a fence in Dunalley.[5] He was relocated in April 2023 after people and dogs harassed him in Kingston Beach.[6] [7]
Neil is an internet celebrity, having, at the moment of editing, 154,000 followers on Instagram under the username "neiltheseal22" as of January 20, 2024,[8] and over 730,000 followers on TikTok as of January 3, 2024.
He is being monitored by the Marine Conservation Program, established by Tasmania's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, for health and safety reasons.[2] [9]