Neil the Seal
Neil, also known as Neil the Seal, is a southern elephant seal in the Australian state of Tasmania. He was born in Salem Bay, Tasmania.
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.
Later events saw Neil more closely interacting with humans, often leaving the beach and resting on the city's roads, or even following people. 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. 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, 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, as well as the downing of a fence.
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. Neil is an internet celebrity, having 154,000 followers on Instagram under the username "neiltheseal22" as of February 28, 2025, and over 1,300,000 followers on TikTok as of December 15, 2025. He is being monitored by the Marine Conservation Program, established by Tasmania's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, for health and safety reasons.