In Tasmania, an island state with a wild and rugged landscape, a three-year-old, 600-kilogram elephant seal is becoming a real star on the networks and in the press.
His name is Neil and he is a seal. More precisely, the elephant seal weighs 600 kilos and has a strong appetite for cities. Neil loves sunbathing, lying in the middle of the road. He has a passion for triangles, orange and white traffic cones, he loves to crush them. The animal likes to take a nap in gardens, for example against a car.
One woman told Australian TV that he stopped her from going to work and that it’s still the best excuse in the world: “Sorry boss, I can’t, I’m stuck”. Neil becomes a star. He now has an Instagram account with 60,000 followers. He is present on YouTube videos that have been viewed millions of times. They write articles about him in important, reputable newspapers such as the Guardian or the New York Times. It even has its own song Neil The Sealsigned by John Coleman, Australian singer.
Neil even won a spot on the US ABC current affairs quiz: “Neil has conquered the world with his antics, but why is all this problematic for wildlife?
A: He can end up with too big of an ego.
B: People who get close to him seem to forget that he can be dangerous and unpredictable.
C: He may lose the ability to swim.
D: He can get too used to people and break into their homes.’
GPS beacon to track and protect it
The correct answer is B. We want to get closer, touch it, but it’s not a good idea. “Leave him alone, stay away, at least 20 meters and keep your dogs”, say scientists. It weighs 600 kilos, but nothing yet, it will grow, maybe reach more than 3000 kilos. Fights between male elephant seals, who fight to conquer females, are very violent. When the hormones kick in, you may start having interactions with him that you don’t like so much, warns the University of Tasmania.
If Neil is so fond of contact with men, “Maybe this is itscientists explain that he was born here, on the beach, far from the wild colonies of elephant seals. Loses fur and some skin. Maybe because he’s cold, he likes the contact with the sun-heated asphalt.’. Neil has almost been harassed by curious people in the past, scientists have already moved him to an unknown location. He now has a GPS beacon on his head that tracks him and also protects him.