Australian officials ask fans to respect the privacy of Neil, a trouble-making seal

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: World Australian officials ask fans to respect the privacy of Neil, a trouble-making seal July 3, 20262:39 AM ET By The Associated Press In this photo provided by Sam Volker Photography, Neil the Seal, a 1,000 kg (2,200 pound) elephant seal, plays with a traffic cone in Tasmania, Australia, on June 27, 2026. Sam Volker Photography/via AP hide caption toggle caption Sam Volker Photography/via AP WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Like plenty of local boys before him, Neil has come home to the stretch of Australian coast where he was born. Unlike most of them, he trails fame, fans and property damage in his wake.

He is also a 1,000 kg (2,200 pound) elephant seal. In June, the bellowing and blubbery 5-year-old mammal hauled himself onto land for his twice-yearly tour of beachside towns in southern Tasmania state after months of feeding at sea. That's posing problems now that he weighs as much as a small car and has a social media following more than double Tasmania's human population.

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Sponsor Message His rampage through local infrastructure has claimed bent traffic bollards, a sign warning the public about seals and a fence that did not survive Neil's attempt to vault it. The rest of the time he lies placidly any place he likes, which is sometimes the middle of the road, bringing towns he visits to a standstill. But officials say their biggest concern is that Neil's popularity could lead to ill-advised human-seal encounters that are dangerous for both sides.

Neil is a bad boy with a long rap sheet Neil, the only male elephant seal to visit Tasmania in years, has commanded an enthralled TikTok following of 1. 4 million in part because he acts like kind of a jerk. During this visit to shore, his 12th, his crimes have included picking fights with parked cars and smashing through barriers erected to keep him off roads.

In this photo provided by Sam Volker Photography, Neil the Seal, a 1,000 kg (2,200 pound) elephant seal, nuzzles up to bollards he has damaged in Tasmania, Australia, June 27, 2026. Sam Volker Photography/via AP hide caption toggle caption Sam Volker Photography/via AP Those antics have prompted some online to hail Neil as a kind of anti-authoritarian hero. But 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 in Hobart. Sponsor Message With no other juveniles to practice with, Neil can only rehearse on Toyotas. Officials plead for fans to leave Neil alone Local officials fear that Neil is the latest wild animal whose social media stardom has outgrown what's good for him.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.