Neil the Seal

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

Species	Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina)
Born	October 2020 (age 4–5)
Residence	Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Weight	600 kg (1,323 lb; 94 st 7 lb)

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][5]

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 in Hobart, preventing a local woman from accessing her car.^[3] He was later relocated in April 2023 by officials of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment after people and dogs harassed him in Kingston Beach,^[6][7] but by December 2023 he had reappeared roughly 70 miles away in the town of Dunalley, where local news reported his continued interactions with locals^[8], as well as the downing of a fence.^[5]

He was reportedly seen again in good health near Hobart as recently as May 2025, though local news requested that his exact location no longer be shared for his own protection.^[9]

Neil is an internet celebrity, having 154,000 followers on Instagram under the username "neiltheseal22" as of February 28, 2025,^[5][10] and over 1,100,000 followers on TikTok as of February 28, 2025.^[1]

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][11]