WELLINGTON: Like so many local boys before him, Neil has returned home along the Australian coast where he was born. Unlike most of them, he leaves behind fame, fans and property damage in his wake.
It is also a 1000 kg elephant seal.In June, the five-year-old mammals made landfall on their twice-annual tour of beachside towns in the southern state of Tasmania after months of feeding at sea. This poses problems now that it weighs as much as a small car and has a social media following more than twice that of Tasmania’s human population. Its rampage through the infrastructure resulted in bent traffic barriers, a sign warning the public about seals and a fence that did not survive Neil’s attempt to jump it.
The rest of the time he lies quietly anywhere he likes, which is sometimes in the middle of the road, making stops in the cities he visits. But officials say their concern is that Neil’s popularity could lead to ill-advised confrontations with human seals that are dangerous for both sides.Neil, the only male elephant to visit Tasmania in years, has amassed 1.4 million followers on TikTok, partly because he acts like some sort of idiot.
During her twelfth visit to the beach, her crimes included fighting with parked cars and smashing barricades set up to keep them off the roads. Experts say it’s a natural experience for a growing seal.Young male elephant seals need to practice for dominance battles in which adults pat and beat each other’s chests as they compete for reproductive opportunities, said Sophia Volzky, an elephant seal scientist at the University of Tasmania.
With no other events to practice with, Neil can only practice on cars.Local officials fear Neil is the latest wild animal whose social media stardom has outgrown what’s good for him. “Neil’s fame is a double-edged sword,” Chris Carlyon, of Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said at a news conference in which he asked seal lovers to give her privacy.“We’ve had some pretty ridiculous behaviour, with people holding their young children close to Neil and simply trying to take that picture to post on Instagram,” he said.Officials urged the public to refrain from deciding which city Neil is currently happy or terrified of. They fear that a disastrous encounter between the seal and an admirer will force keepers to undertake a risky operation to transport him elsewhere. In a 2023 episode, a walrus known as Freya who attracted large crowds in Norway was euthanized after officials cited a human safety risk. “There’s a danger here in loving Neil to death,” Carlyon said.
AP