\u201cNeil was born in Tasmania<\/a>, near Hobart, and he thinks that\u2019s where home is because he doesn\u2019t know where Macquarie Island is,\u201d Dr Clive McMahon, an elephant seal expert, told the Guardian this week. \u201cAnd he doesn\u2019t have a map.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Kris Carlyon, the section head for wildlife health at Tasmania\u2019s department of natural resources, said while he understood the widespread interest in the mammal, there was a real risk of the public \u201cessentially loving Neil to death\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen examples around the world where large, potentially dangerous animals have had to be euthanised<\/a> if there is risky behaviour by the public, resulting in an unmanageable safety concern,\u201d Carlyon said on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n Neil the seal resting behind a barricade. Photograph: Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania<\/p>\n \u201cHe can look cute, cuddly [and] placid, but he\u2019s a large marine predator \u2013 and we certainly wouldn\u2019t be approaching things like polar bears [and] bison in other parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Neil has returned to southern Tasmania 12 times so far. But his size this year, and his propensity to sleep in the middle of the road and attack bollards with his bulk has caused a stir. He could ultimately grow to be 3,500kg and about 4.5 metres long.<\/p>\n Carlyon urged the public to let Neil rest while he\u2019s on land for about six weeks after a busy feeding period in the Southern Ocean. Some people have tried to leave meals for Neil, but he does not need food and won\u2019t feed even if they try.<\/p>\n \u201cNeil\u2019s fame is a bit of a double-edged sword,\u201d Carlyon said. \u201cRight now the attention Neil gets helps with awareness of our threatened species, helps with his protection in some ways. But it also encourages perhaps risky human behaviour, people trying to get selfies with Neil, people trying get that little bit closer for that good photo.\u201d<\/p>\n He said there have already been instances of people \u201ccarrying their small babies up close to him and simply trying to get that shot for Instagram\u201d.<\/p>\n Neil will be on land for about six weeks. He\u2019s returned to southern Tasmania 12 times since he was born in 2020. Photograph: Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania<\/p>\n The warning elicits reminders of Freya the walrus, who was euthanised in Norway in 2022<\/a> after she presented a \u201cpersistent threat to human security\u201d. Officials said at the time their warnings for the public to keep their distance from the animal were not heeded.<\/p>\n
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