WELLINGTON: Like plenty of local boys before him, Neil has come home to the stretch of Australian coast where it was born. Unlike most of them, he trails fame, fans and property damage in his wake. It is also a 1,000 kg elephant seal.In June, the bellowing and blubbery 5-year-old mammal hauled itself onto land for its twice-yearly tour of beachside towns in southern Tasmania state after months of feeding at sea. That’s posing problems now that it weighs as much as a small car and has a social media following more than double Tasmania’s human population. Its rampage through infrastructure has claimed bent traffic bollards, a sign warning public about seals and a fence that did not survive Neil’s attempt to vault it. The rest of the time it lies placidly any place it likes, which is sometimes the middle of the road, bringing towns it visits to a standstill. But officials say their concern is that Neil’s popularity could lead to ill-advised human-seal encounters that are dangerous for both sides.Neil, the only male elephant seal to visit Tasmania in years, has commanded an enthralled TikTok following of 1.4 million in part because it acts like kind of a jerk. During this visit to shore, its 12th, its crimes have included picking fights with parked cars and smashing through barriers erected to keep it off roads. Experts say it’s normal experimentation for a growing seal.Juvenile male elephant seals need to practice for dominance battles in which adults rear up and crash their chests together as they compete for breeding opportunities, said Sophia Volzke, an elephant seal scientist based at the University of Tasmania. With no other juveniles to practice with, Neil can only rehearse on cars.Local officials fear that Neil is the latest wild animal whose social media stardom has outgrown what’s good for him. “Neil’s fame is a bit of a double-edged sword,” said Kris Carlyon from Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, at a news conference in which he asked the seal’s fans to give it privacy.“We have had some pretty silly behaviour, instances with people carrying their small babies up close to Neil and simply trying to get that shot for Instagram,” he said.Officials have urged the public to refrain from identifying the town Neil is currently delighting or terrorising. They fear a disastrous encounter between the seal and an admirer could force rangers into a risky operation to move him elsewhere. In a 2023 episode, a walrus known as Freya who drew huge crowds in Norway was euthanised after officials cited a risk to human safety. “There is a risk here of loving Neil to death,” Carlyon said. AP
