Australia’s Famous ‘Neil the Seal’ Attempts to Follow a Family Home in Viral Video
You may have heard of Australia's famous seal, Neil the Seal, who became a huge internet sensation in 2023. The massive Southern Elephant seal has no idea that he's famous, but crowds gather when he swims ashore in Tasmania several times a year and makes himself right at home. He loves being around humans...so much so that he tried to follow Jaycee and his family home recently!
Jaycee shared a video on Sunday, May 5th as his family was making their way home on foot. Make sure your sound is on so you can hear Jaycee tell Neil that he can't go home with them...poor Neil looks so sad!
Awww! I felt bad for Neil! He just wanted to follow his friends! Jaycee's video quickly went viral and now has more than 21 million views, almost 4 million likes, and over 15 thousand comments! I told you Neil was famous! Neil's fans got a kick out of the video. @Carrie pointed out, "The defeated sigh at the end!" @frcam got almost 130 thousand likes when he wondered, "Why is nobody talking about how a seal is in the middle of a forest?!" @JoJoMu wasn't wrong when they said, "Neil is just a big puppy …." and I think we can all agree with @Bethany, "Apologize to him immediately and let him sleep on your porch!"
More About Neil the Seal
Neal is just a baby elephant seal - he's estimated to be about 3 years old and weigh 1,300 pounds. According to National Geographic, southern elephant seals are the largest seals in the world. They can grow up to 20 feet in length and weigh up to 9,000 pounds (that's 4.5 tons!).
Tasmanian wildlife handlers tried to relocate Neil to a 'more secluded area' to get him out of the city since he's kind of an adorable menace. He loves to stop traffic by laying in the middle of the road, destroying road signs, lounging in residents' yards, yelling at people, and generally being where he's not supposed to be. One woman told the Australian Broadcast Company that she had to call off from work because Neil was blocking her car and she couldn't leave the house, "There's not a lot you can do with a 600-kilogram seal at your car. I have no idea why he's chosen my front yard but he's welcome to stay as long as he wants." I would feel the same way!
Apparently they didn't take Neil far enough away when they tried to move him because he showed back up again soon after. Marine biologists speculate that Neil keeps returning to these southern Tasmania and local coastal beaches because it's where he was born.
Unless you have hours to spend going down a rabbit hole of Neil videos, I suggest that you do not check out Neil the Seal's TikTok account. But if you have a few minutes to spare and need a laugh, I highly recommend you check it out!
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