Neil the seal continues to draw crowds and cause damage as the famous elephant seal remains in southern Tasmania for his annual moult, with locals flocking to catch a glimpse of the one-tonne animal.
The social media star has been sleeping next to a service station at night and attracting onlookers during the day, prompting authorities to urge people to stay away.
Neil has made himself at home in the Clarence Council area during this season’s visit, generating tens of millions of views on social media and making his way into overseas news outlets like CNN over the past week.
Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley said Neil has caused damage to public property.
“At the moment we don’t have a complete understanding of the damage Neil has caused to public infrastructure but he has obviously knocked over a number of poles and bollards,” Blomeley told Pulse.
“I understand that until he completes his moulting process, he’ll continue to scratch up against things to help shed his old fur.”
Blomeley said a full assessment would only be possible once Neil returned to the water.
“Until then, I encourage everyone to please give Neil the space he needs and not to attempt to visit him,” he said.
“While he is of great interest, he is also potentially dangerous and does pose a risk to the community.”
Neil shut down an intersection at Seven Mile Beach on Saturday after parking himself in the middle of the road, forcing police and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to intervene.
He eventually made his way back toward the beach, where crowds gathered to watch.
Wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon said Neil was now five and a half years old and pushing close to 1,000 kilograms, with his size and confidence making him harder to manage than previous years.
“We’re seeing changes in Neil’s behaviour every time he visits,” Carlyon said.
“He’s certainly growing and with that his confidence is probably growing a fair bit as well.”
Carlyon said Neil was “very glued into people and activity and movement” and would likely investigate anyone who got too close.
He said experts use a range of techniques to manage him.
“And each and every time he hauls out we’re having to test those old tools and methods and try new ones,” he said.
“So we employ an adaptive management strategy.”
“We’re constantly trialling and testing new things and as Neil works out how to get around those we’re introducing new techniques as well.”
Some of the techniques include padded poles and boards.
“It may look a little confronting but I can certainly assure everyone that nothing that we do is hurting Neil,” Carlyon said.
“And it’s really with his best interests and the public front and centre.”
He urged the public to continue to stay at least 20 metres away and keep dogs on a leash at least 50 metres away.
Neil rose to fame in 2022 after playing with traffic cones during his moulting period.
Videos of him blocking roads, napping on lawns and knocking over bollards have since drawn millions of views on TikTok and Instagram.
People are asked not to share his current location to protect him from crowds.
Sightings or concerns can be reported to the marine mammal hotline on 0427 942 537.
