@jasonhowlett666 #nogrudges #communityfavorites #nieltheseal ♬ original sound – Jaycee
Neil the Seal is a southern elephant seal, and he is an unstoppable force of inconvenience. The massive critter is a regular visitor to Tasmania, where every year he shows up to both the amusement and annoyance of residents, as Yahoo News Australia reports. Based on a bevy of reports from social media, Neil has returned, and he is laying waste to the town of Dunalley.
Neil weighs over 1,300 pounds and his primary offensive tactic is to wander into areas and refuse to leave. He’s been spotted on residents’ doorsteps, lawns and in the middle of the road. One woman found herself unable to get to work because Neil had taken up residence in front of her car. He also seems to enjoy eating pylons and stealing construction cones.
@jasonhowlett666♬ original sound – Jaycee
While some may wonder what a massive sea creature is doing in the middle of a road in Tasmania, this behavior is not necessarily unexpected. According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, elephant seals come ashore to rest and moult after spending extended periods foraging in the open sea. They may remain ashore for periods of up to four to five weeks.
However, while Neil has become a social media sensation, earlier this year, anthrozoologist Dr. Bruce Englefield warned that attributing human characteristics to the creature could be a mistake. “As soon as you give them a name, people think of them as being like humans. It creates a problem of thinking he’s lovely and cuddly, but he’s not — he’s a 400kg wild animal who could kill you,” he told Yahoo News Australia. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania backs up his claim, warning that elephant seals should not be disturbed during their visits to land, as they can be dangerous if approached and may become habituated to people, which compromises the animals’ long-term survival.
