An approximately 2,200-pound elephant seal is in the midst of his annual visit to Tasmania, leaving property damage and public disturbances in his wake.
The 5-year-old animal, dubbed Neil the seal by locals, has been visiting southern Tasmania towns every year since he was born, residents said.
Neil has become a celebrity both locally and on social media, but local officials said he isn’t exactly well-behaved.
“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,” Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley told Pulse Tasmania.
Jane Younger, a seal expert at the University of Tasmania, said locals have reported Neil is equally destructive toward private property.
“He’s broken fences, he’s harassing people’s cars — that’s just a function of his size,” Younger told Guardian Australia.
Neil stopped traffic Saturday at an intersection in the Seven Mile Beach area, forcing police and Department of Natural Resources and Environment to attend the scene and encourage him back toward the beach.
Officials are encouraging the public to give Neil a wide berth.
“I understand that until he completes his molting process, he’ll continue to scratch up against things to help shed his old fur,” Blomeley said. “Until then, I encourage everyone to please give Neil the space he needs and not to attempt to visit him. While he is of great interest, he is also potentially dangerous and does pose a risk to the community.”
