Southern elephant seals are the largest pinniped, weighing in over 8,800 lbs or almost 4,000 kg! Why are marine mammals so big? I answer that question here → ruclips.net/video/YhqZCDSQ3rA/видео.html
The majority of the locals in Dunalley (the town where Neil frequents) are quite protective of Neil and I have witnessed quite a few non-locals getting ripped a new arsehole by the locals when they have gotten too close to Neil *Edit* Ripped a new arsehole is Anglo/Aussie/Kiwi slang for being told off
i wanna see neil from an appropriate distance some day. in my home we have harbor seals (one of my favorite animals) and the protocol is much the same even if they are smaller and cuter 😭 i appreciate the work that the locals are doing to socialize him appropriately.
It helps that this seal is by a small town where the locals know each other very easily. So if some stranger/tourist comes by and wants to be an ass to Neil for Tiktok clicks, they'd have their asshole torn down. XD
I thought I read somewhere that he'd been relocated from there for his safety. He's tagged. Either way I'll be waiting for the next sightings of this gorgeous boy!!! ❤
So I'm Colombian, I saw the Neil part of TikTok not long ago but I didn't know that getting close to them was so harmful to them, I hope people understand that it's better for everyone not to interact with him or any wild animals. Here for example we have hippos (thanks to Pablo Escobar's influence and money) and people here sometimes try to get close to them as a way to be perceived as brave or something like that. People are too stupid and I can just hope we learn to be kind to all animals without causing them any harm. Thanks for the informative video
woah, are the cocaine hippos still around?! I thought the gov would have them all slaughtered by now lol where do they hang out tho?? it's impressive that they survived generations, since they can't just fit anywhere
Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. Don't get between them and water, or their young. They will trample you to death before goring you and they are pretty nimble considering their size. They can also be pretty quick to temper as well.
Thank you so much! I learned so much about him and his species today. I didn't know before. And this happens way too much all over the world, and nature pays the price for man stupidity. We see it too often here in Canada as well. When tours especially come through places like Banff and Jasper. There's a reason why you have a zoom on your camera. Learn to use it. Leave the wild life alone
This is so true and it pisses me off because it’s not for lack of education or because there isn’t enough signs saying don’t feed the wild life. Don’t approach the wild life.
Bears are so, so dangerous around humans, how people can't get it in their head to not feed them or seek them out is beyond any comprehension. They eat your pizza yes, but then they're dying for it because you taught them about pizza. it's heartbreaking!!!
Yeah, this is what I've been thinking. Neil is still a baby. When he's full grown and hits sexual maturity he's going to be an absolute monster (and I mean that in the best possible way). As much as we love him it's best for both parties that he finds a new home before tragedy strikes. I hope the authorities are successful in relocating him.
Here in California we have northern elephant seals. They are not quite as large as southern elephant seals, but much of the information is the same. The instrument that you showed on Neil‘s head is actually designed to collect information about his body size the length of his dives, where he goes what he feeds upon and much more. These instruments do not harm the animals because as you pointed out, the elephant seals molt all of their fur every year and any instruments like this are shed along with the fur Neil would have been tagged as a pup with a permanent plastic tag that was attached in the webbing in his hind flipper.
YES! California is also famous for their sea lions too, and they love to hang out along the Pier 39 docks in SF as well as the wharfs along Santa Cruz and Monterey. Elephant seals and sea lions can be such goofy/noisy adorable blobs! ^^
Freyas story always gets me. She wasn't a threat to humans, it was the other way around. Just like in Neils case. Hope Neil doesn't have to die because of human inability to listen, think and/or restrain themselves.
It always bothered me too because they could have either put her into a conservation in order to rehabilitate or a zoo. If they're not a controlled population then shouldn't we be preserving them?
KP, elephant seals have got to be off the chart of most fascinating animals! My jaw dropped on the one attacking the car! We really need to respect their space. How sad we can’t get people to leave them alone. Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing. We have a 'tribe' of these elephant seals at a local 'hidden' beach here (a bit South of San Francisco) & I'll never forget going to see them up close on a guided tour fieldtrip as a kid. They are bigger than cars & we kept our distance. Luckily, there are no towns nearby, so our local elephant seals are protected.
While Freya concerns are valid, Neil is also approaching people by himself, he is hard to ignore when he is going up to peoples houses. That said people going out of their way to annoy him outside of that need jail time quick.
I think most people will avoid him when he’s in people’s spaces but there are evidently people who are trained to try and get him out of roads or out of places if absolutely necessary
I admit i hadn't come across this cheeky chappy - yet. So glad you have, again, taken time to highlight the human impact issue. I remember Freya, that was so heart breaking,.. Looking at some of those clips of people getting so incredibly close to such huge and weighty animals - Just boggles the mind - some people seem to not understand how "wild" wildlife is. Its the total disconnect, and that frustrates and worries me a lot. thank you for explaining about this wonderful animal. and showing the stupidity of some people. Oh, and - Happy New Year Blessings to You.
I parked near by the area Neil the seal was recently (I’d never heard of him and was there for an unrelated reason) within the hour I was parked 50 or so tourists in separate cars turned up walking the foreshore looking for him. People really are idiots.
I’m not to concerned with the safety of the people. If Neil takes someone out, that’s just a Darwinian thinking of our herd. Nature in action. I’m rooting for Neil.
Don't you love when people are told that an animal is dangerous if approached and then get upset and surprised when they get close to the animal and it attacks them?
When an animal hurts or kills a human who was behaving ignorantly, why must the animal always be euthanized? I would understand if there was a specific problem animal who was repeatedly and aggressively going after humans in a high traffic area, but some of these cases (like even that gorilla in a zoo who was killed when a kid got loose into his enclosure and the gorilla didn’t even do anything to the kid), it’s like humans are being encouraged to behave ignorantly around wildlife. We are actually creating more human monsters, because they know that if anything happens, it’ll be the animal that gets punished, and they don’t care as long as they get their video/picture. Am I the a-hole for thinking this way? Does it make me psychologically ill? I worry about this also, because I have lost a lot of respect for humanity since the internet and learning about all of these instances of humans and wildlife. It’s bad enough how we treat those we eat, but to go out and disrespect the others who have no place in our ability to exist is cruel.
You are absolutely right, granted if a predator kills and eats a human they will know that they are an easy food source. Also as an Orca pretend you love humanity cause they too strong and don’t listen.
Being upset that people aren’t being made to take responsibility for their actions that harm wildlife is very understandable, I have also had some uncharitable thoughts about people that do stupid things around animals that could contribute to that animal being harmed or seen as a threat in the future and euthanized because of their actions and it makes me very upset when I think about it. Unfortunately the government is unlikely to support my idea which is to give park rangers and zookeepers the responsibility to capture the problem tourists if they bother the animals and affix a radio tag collar to them that can’t be removed easily so they can be seen and tracked by all of the other park rangers and zookeepers as a potential problem if they ever show up again in a different place that has animals after they have been captured catalogued tagged and relocated far away from where they were causing problems, and they can display any repeat offenders as an exhibit at the zoo.
It annoys me as well, one of my main issues when it comes to kids and babies interacting with dogs. Like most of the instances I've seen it happen, it's very clear that the parents haven't actually taught the kid how to properly Interact with a dog. I've even experienced that myself, had a little kid run up to my dog while we were out on a walk and immediately start trying to pet her even though she had her tail between her legs and started trying to hide behind me. Worse still was that she had an adult with her, and this dude wasn't saying jack shit. I was just shocked honestly, kid was maybe 4 so I don't blame them, I blame the guy. All I could think to myself in that interaction was "Fucking hell, this kid is going to end up losing a hand if this is how she interacts with dogs."
This really worries me. Tasmania’s second biggest tourist attraction, Port Arthur, is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists per year. They have to travel there by one road only through Dunally to get there. Many of them stop there, if they’re travelling by car, motorcycle or camper van. If Neil decides he wants to regularly visit, I can see bad things in his future unfortunately. People need to stay away from any wild animals! DO NOT encourage them in any way! Dunally is 42km from where I live in a straight line. Quite a bit longer by road…
Neal is proof that marine mammals love traffic cones 😂 Lucky a majority of people seem to be giving him his space and I haven’t seen/heard of anyone trying to feed him or anything crazy. So hope he can get his moult done and back to the ocean with no real drama
I'm not a trained wildlife expert but I know enough to recognise that Neil wasn't trying to be cute. That yawn and raising up like that were threats. Neil isn't a puppy or kitten and it'd be nice if people recognised that and gave these animals some respect.
Tbh, even if everyone behaved perfectly, this still seems like it will end badly for Neil. Even when people dont approach him, he seems more than happy to approach humans himself and destroy things.
I joined your channel maybe 20 minutes ago now. I need to slow down so that I can enjoy this for a long time. Really great stuff. Marine life has a really good friend with you.
"Admire from a distance." Kinda hard when he's on your porch. There is only so much distance you can keep when you see a seal in your path on the sidewalk.
Thank you so much for this informative video. Watching people doing their best to get as close as possible to Neil makes me furious! Did we learn nothing from poor Freya??!!
I think Neil will be a temporary sensation. Once he’s of age, instinct will make him seek out females of his own kind, and likely return to the beach he was born on.
The locals are VERY protective of Neil. I don't really think they are causing harm. He wanders around in their residential areas and they just make sure that he's safe. They keep tourists away from him. The couple in the video were getting Neil to move off of the road. The trained pro that comes to move him actually resembles a traffic cone, which is his arch nemesis. The entire community comes together to help move him out of yards and off roads to keep him safe.
I saw Neil just a couple days ago and said it's not going to be funny when he crushes car's. Most other comments I saw led me to believe that they don't realize its a elephant.
I didn't know Neil was an elephant seal at first because he males aren't as recognizable without their nose lump that I can't spell the proper name for.
@@nightigal I know what you mean..funny as heck as a pup ( hahaha) pup... He looks like he's going to be a Rockstar...mabe just put some stuff out there for him to bash and deal with it. Local attraction..start the training now...mabe??or not. Good luck Friends
I did not know people were poking him and getting too close. Is there any way to enforce the distance of 65 ft? Thank you for all the information you shared. I learned a lot - eg. seals, being the largest pinniped is fascinating.
Thanks for watching! Enforcement can be tricky and I'm not 100% familiar with the laws and regulations of Tasmania. In other places, like the US, seals like Neil would be protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. A good example is the critically endangered monk seals that live in Hawaii. Fines can reach up to 50,000 dollars, and even jail time, for disturbing the monk seals. Some people have been fined after being identified from their social media posts that showed them getting too close to the seals. My guess is that enforcement in Tasmania would be up to the Marine Conservation Program, the people who I showed relocating Neil.
So i did think Neil was chasing them away when he was running towards them, but after seeing the videos of the adult seals fighting, im much more terrified. I think i was lookin at Neil like i look at a Chihuahua. Also thought Neil's fight with sticks was him just scratching itself. Im glad i found this video and im more educated now.
I think Neil is trying to avoid alot, including sharks. They don't seem to like red, Orange, or white. For now, i think he is just trying to stay safe .
They shouldn't have euthanized the walrus as she didn't attack anyone, but sent the people harassing her to jail. Regarding Neil, it is said he was relocated and came back. For whatever reason, he likes it there. I hope the community rallies around protecting Neil because it is clear they love the big lug.
As cute as Neil is, he might get quite dangerous when he's grown and should be led back to his natural habitat. I watched videos of a giant adult elephant seal, that tried to mate with a pickup truck and mauled it, when the car refused.
Those things are scary. I got pretty close to a breeding beach in Argentina. They're massive. And just one roar and we got out of there. It's hard to explain how huge they are unless you're close to them, something I wouldn't recommend. I thibk that beach is closed for tourists now.
The fact that in the videos where they have been seen using their noses to make the sounds that are used to scare away less dominant males. By putting them in their mouths makes me wonder do they ever accidentally bite their own nose?
2:58 That's a delineator, meant to outline where the road is in bad weather and other low-visibility conditions. That shiny part at the top reflects light from car headlights, to make it easier to see. Considering that traffic cone as well... BEHOLD, NEIL THE SEAL, MENACE OF TRAFFIC CONTROL EQUIPMENT! FEAR HIS POWER, AND STAY BACK FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!!
I thought he was like a yearly thing, like he rocks up for breeding season and then leaves. Hopefully he will go back to the ocean after breeding season is done and finds a new beach next year
I hope H5N1 influenza isn't the cause of the population declining. I've read that it's killing seals and seabirds in the Atlantic sub-antarctic islands. I don't know if animal migrations could carry it to other sub-antarctic islands. If it reaches Antarctica it could be disastrous to the penguins, which are already in big trouble from climate change.
Well, not exactly a baby, but he is a juvenile. He is currently 4 years old and the males don't reach their full maturity until they are 9-12 years of age. He still has a long way to go.
The little white posts, cones and conservationists all had something in common. They all have reflective material, I wonder if that is part of his interest in them.
Wow, yet again, I am more frightened not by the large animal, but by the female saying 'ooh look how cute and funny he is' while he is about to charge her and potentially put her life at risk.. thanks for sharing this informative video about how scarey these giant wild animals actually are..
THat was my concern, honestly. He's a juvenile, and cute now. But he's gonna get HUGE. A lot of those interactions do seem to be people just trying to bait him off roadways, and that just seems reasonable as long as you leave as soon as he's off the road.
AFAIK that transponder on it's head was attached recently, as an attempt to keep track of it and preempt where he might appear, to protect him from humans.
He is adorable but i would never go close to him, id be terrified he'd bite my arm or leg. Im sure he has very sharp, strong teeth lol what is wrong with people lol. 😅
Is it possible that the sudden decline in population of those elephant seals was because of the bulls just killing everyone, each other and themselves?
If you are concerned about this, it is a concern the situation and questions need to be answered. When these things happen, there is this silence and secrecy, people don't know what is going on. The questions are important, because welfare is at stake. Questions like why is he on his own? Why are they not transferring him to a marine, conservation area or park so he doesn't go back into the town, or to ascertain if something is wrong with him or even for his and the towns people's safety?Or are they trying to find his family and to reunite him? Things like that, is he still in the town, or just update on what is going with him and the town?
Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. I’ve met Neal and can confirm that he is a cutie pie. He was initially hauling out around Clifton Beach. He visits beaches and boat ramps around Frederick Henry Bay and Norfolk Bay. ❤🦭❤ We had a close encounter with him at a boat ramp.
I have been owned by cats 3/4ths of my life. Much as I love them, they are wild animals and have instincts rather than human minds. Not that they aren't smart. They are, but they are cats, not people, with claws and rules, sexual drives and dominance/territory issues. Not to mention their low opinion of dogs. A seal should be treated with similar respect, because he can make a cat and her claws look so tiny. But remember, humans are pathetic. We have no real defenses in our bodies against the powers of large animals. Seals can sometimes even defeat a great white, much like a cat can defeat a threatening dog if she's angry enough. If the seal can drive off a great white, it can certainly handle a human. Mind your place and keep your distance, for your own safety, and for his.
Love the information as I love learning about animals! I hope dumb humans are not the reason anything happens to him. I want nothing more than to see him grow up past his baby phase and grow to produce some more Niels.
Our beaches are frequented by seal mothers and their pups, authorities are BEGGING people to stop touching and approaching the little ones. It has become so bad that the beaches are now fenced in,but people still climb over for some internet clout.....
Southern elephant seals are the largest pinniped, weighing in over 8,800 lbs or almost 4,000 kg! Why are marine mammals so big? I answer that question here → ruclips.net/video/YhqZCDSQ3rA/видео.html
I have a question if Neil is a young seal than where are his parents?
They only stay with their mothers for a few months and then are on their own
@@KPassionateWeird, I have stayed with my mom my whole life
Ever think about how there are elephant seals bigger than some actual elephants?
Because it's Neil! Pinniped! 8,80/lbs! It's a random elephant seal being random elephant seal !
🦭
Neil🇦🇺🤘
The majority of the locals in Dunalley (the town where Neil frequents) are quite protective of Neil and I have witnessed quite a few non-locals getting ripped a new arsehole by the locals when they have gotten too close to Neil
*Edit* Ripped a new arsehole is Anglo/Aussie/Kiwi slang for being told off
That’s great to hear!!!
i wanna see neil from an appropriate distance some day. in my home we have harbor seals (one of my favorite animals) and the protocol is much the same even if they are smaller and cuter 😭 i appreciate the work that the locals are doing to socialize him appropriately.
Awww, now thats a great community. They respect and love him from a distance and make sure others do the same. This made my day!
It helps that this seal is by a small town where the locals know each other very easily. So if some stranger/tourist comes by and wants to be an ass to Neil for Tiktok clicks, they'd have their asshole torn down. XD
I thought I read somewhere that he'd been relocated from there for his safety. He's tagged. Either way I'll be waiting for the next sightings of this gorgeous boy!!! ❤
Boss: Why are you late for work?
Me: Shows picture of Neil.
Boss: ok.
Valid call out reason 😂
So I'm Colombian, I saw the Neil part of TikTok not long ago but I didn't know that getting close to them was so harmful to them, I hope people understand that it's better for everyone not to interact with him or any wild animals. Here for example we have hippos (thanks to Pablo Escobar's influence and money) and people here sometimes try to get close to them as a way to be perceived as brave or something like that. People are too stupid and I can just hope we learn to be kind to all animals without causing them any harm. Thanks for the informative video
The Columbian hippos is one of the wildest stories I've ever heard lol
woah, are the cocaine hippos still around?! I thought the gov would have them all slaughtered by now lol where do they hang out tho??
it's impressive that they survived generations, since they can't just fit anywhere
Many people have lower IQs than chimps.
Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. Don't get between them and water, or their young. They will trample you to death before goring you and they are pretty nimble considering their size. They can also be pretty quick to temper as well.
Hippos are dangerous, have you seen their teeth?
This is also happening in the US with buffalo, bears, etc. the animal always pays.
100%
Happens too often in Canada as well. And it's absolutely disgusting that nature has to pay the price for man stupidity
Thank you so much! I learned so much about him and his species today. I didn't know before.
And this happens way too much all over the world, and nature pays the price for man stupidity. We see it too often here in Canada as well. When tours especially come through places like Banff and Jasper. There's a reason why you have a zoom on your camera. Learn to use it. Leave the wild life alone
This is so true and it pisses me off because it’s not for lack of education or because there isn’t enough signs saying don’t feed the wild life. Don’t approach the wild life.
Bears are so, so dangerous around humans, how people can't get it in their head to not feed them or seek them out is beyond any comprehension. They eat your pizza yes, but then they're dying for it because you taught them about pizza. it's heartbreaking!!!
As soon as I found out about Neil, I immediately thought about Freya and got concerned...
Yeah, this is what I've been thinking. Neil is still a baby. When he's full grown and hits sexual maturity he's going to be an absolute monster (and I mean that in the best possible way). As much as we love him it's best for both parties that he finds a new home before tragedy strikes. I hope the authorities are successful in relocating him.
I mean, we let elephans live near people. Why not Niel? An elephant in must is much more agressive than a seal
The trained professional arrives dressed as a traffic cone.
Now that you mention it... that does seem like a poor choice of color. :D
Here in California we have northern elephant seals. They are not quite as large as southern elephant seals, but much of the information is the same.
The instrument that you showed on Neil‘s head is actually designed to collect information about his body size the length of his dives, where he goes what he feeds upon and much more.
These instruments do not harm the animals because as you pointed out, the elephant seals molt all of their fur every year and any instruments like this are shed along with the fur
Neil would have been tagged as a pup with a permanent plastic tag that was attached in the webbing in his hind flipper.
YES! California is also famous for their sea lions too, and they love to hang out along the Pier 39 docks in SF as well as the wharfs along Santa Cruz and Monterey. Elephant seals and sea lions can be such goofy/noisy adorable blobs! ^^
Freyas story always gets me. She wasn't a threat to humans, it was the other way around. Just like in Neils case. Hope Neil doesn't have to die because of human inability to listen, think and/or restrain themselves.
Agreed 💯
I didn't know about Freya until now 😭😭
It's Neil.
It always bothered me too because they could have either put her into a conservation in order to rehabilitate or a zoo. If they're not a controlled population then shouldn't we be preserving them?
The dirst time I heard about Neil, I immediately thought of Freya and wondered how long until humans ruin this too
KP, elephant seals have got to be off the chart of most fascinating animals! My jaw dropped on the one attacking the car! We really need to respect their space. How sad we can’t get people to leave them alone. Thanks again!
That was in New Zealand!! They cost us often as well.
Thanks for sharing. We have a 'tribe' of these elephant seals at a local 'hidden' beach here (a bit South of San Francisco) & I'll never forget going to see them up close on a guided tour fieldtrip as a kid. They are bigger than cars & we kept our distance. Luckily, there are no towns nearby, so our local elephant seals are protected.
While Freya concerns are valid, Neil is also approaching people by himself, he is hard to ignore when he is going up to peoples houses.
That said people going out of their way to annoy him outside of that need jail time quick.
Literally could have just relocated her instead of killing her! .-.
I think most people will avoid him when he’s in people’s spaces but there are evidently people who are trained to try and get him out of roads or out of places if absolutely necessary
As an Australian 🇦🇺 I can confirm that there would be a mutiny if the government put Neil the Seal 🦭 down
I admit i hadn't come across this cheeky chappy - yet. So glad you have, again, taken time to highlight the human impact issue.
I remember Freya, that was so heart breaking,..
Looking at some of those clips of people getting so incredibly close to such huge and weighty animals - Just boggles the mind - some people seem to not understand how "wild" wildlife is. Its the total disconnect, and that frustrates and worries me a lot.
thank you for explaining about this wonderful animal. and showing the stupidity of some people.
Oh, and - Happy New Year Blessings to You.
I parked near by the area Neil the seal was recently (I’d never heard of him and was there for an unrelated reason) within the hour I was parked 50 or so tourists in separate cars turned up walking the foreshore looking for him. People really are idiots.
I’m not to concerned with the safety of the people. If Neil takes someone out, that’s just a Darwinian thinking of our herd. Nature in action. I’m rooting for Neil.
Don't you love when people are told that an animal is dangerous if approached and then get upset and surprised when they get close to the animal and it attacks them?
When an animal hurts or kills a human who was behaving ignorantly, why must the animal always be euthanized? I would understand if there was a specific problem animal who was repeatedly and aggressively going after humans in a high traffic area, but some of these cases (like even that gorilla in a zoo who was killed when a kid got loose into his enclosure and the gorilla didn’t even do anything to the kid), it’s like humans are being encouraged to behave ignorantly around wildlife. We are actually creating more human monsters, because they know that if anything happens, it’ll be the animal that gets punished, and they don’t care as long as they get their video/picture. Am I the a-hole for thinking this way? Does it make me psychologically ill? I worry about this also, because I have lost a lot of respect for humanity since the internet and learning about all of these instances of humans and wildlife. It’s bad enough how we treat those we eat, but to go out and disrespect the others who have no place in our ability to exist is cruel.
You are absolutely right, granted if a predator kills and eats a human they will know that they are an easy food source. Also as an Orca pretend you love humanity cause they too strong and don’t listen.
Being upset that people aren’t being made to take responsibility for their actions that harm wildlife is very understandable, I have also had some uncharitable thoughts about people that do stupid things around animals that could contribute to that animal being harmed or seen as a threat in the future and euthanized because of their actions and it makes me very upset when I think about it. Unfortunately the government is unlikely to support my idea which is to give park rangers and zookeepers the responsibility to capture the problem tourists if they bother the animals and affix a radio tag collar to them that can’t be removed easily so they can be seen and tracked by all of the other park rangers and zookeepers as a potential problem if they ever show up again in a different place that has animals after they have been captured catalogued tagged and relocated far away from where they were causing problems, and they can display any repeat offenders as an exhibit at the zoo.
@@MissMeganBeckett That needs to happen! 🤣
It annoys me as well, one of my main issues when it comes to kids and babies interacting with dogs.
Like most of the instances I've seen it happen, it's very clear that the parents haven't actually taught the kid how to properly Interact with a dog. I've even experienced that myself, had a little kid run up to my dog while we were out on a walk and immediately start trying to pet her even though she had her tail between her legs and started trying to hide behind me.
Worse still was that she had an adult with her, and this dude wasn't saying jack shit. I was just shocked honestly, kid was maybe 4 so I don't blame them, I blame the guy.
All I could think to myself in that interaction was "Fucking hell, this kid is going to end up losing a hand if this is how she interacts with dogs."
This really worries me. Tasmania’s second biggest tourist attraction, Port Arthur, is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists per year. They have to travel there by one road only through Dunally to get there. Many of them stop there, if they’re travelling by car, motorcycle or camper van. If Neil decides he wants to regularly visit, I can see bad things in his future unfortunately. People need to stay away from any wild animals! DO NOT encourage them in any way! Dunally is 42km from where I live in a straight line. Quite a bit longer by road…
I had no idea how big they are! Very interesting animal. People should be arrested for harassing them.
So sad about Freya that’s not fair
Neal is proof that marine mammals love traffic cones 😂
Lucky a majority of people seem to be giving him his space and I haven’t seen/heard of anyone trying to feed him or anything crazy. So hope he can get his moult done and back to the ocean with no real drama
I'm not a trained wildlife expert but I know enough to recognise that Neil wasn't trying to be cute. That yawn and raising up like that were threats. Neil isn't a puppy or kitten and it'd be nice if people recognised that and gave these animals some respect.
I think about these things every time I see these Neil videos, especially how big and aggressive he’s going to be in a few years!! 😮
Tbh, even if everyone behaved perfectly, this still seems like it will end badly for Neil. Even when people dont approach him, he seems more than happy to approach humans himself and destroy things.
My friend George Costanza was a marine bioigist.
The sea was angry that day
It's like here in Florida people poking and bothering the manatees had to yell at this guy trying to touch one with his paddle 🤦
I joined your channel maybe 20 minutes ago now. I need to slow down so that I can enjoy this for a long time. Really great stuff. Marine life has a really good friend with you.
I’ll thank Neil for finding your channel. 👍
I feel smarter 😀
"Admire from a distance."
Kinda hard when he's on your porch. There is only so much distance you can keep when you see a seal in your path on the sidewalk.
Thank you so much for this informative video. Watching people doing their best to get as close as possible to Neil makes me furious! Did we learn nothing from poor Freya??!!
I think Neil will be a temporary sensation. Once he’s of age, instinct will make him seek out females of his own kind, and likely return to the beach he was born on.
Here in California we have a lot of Seals and Sea Lions. Especially the Elephant Seals in San Simeon.
Thank you. Excellent video
Glad you enjoyed it!
The locals are VERY protective of Neil. I don't really think they are causing harm. He wanders around in their residential areas and they just make sure that he's safe. They keep tourists away from him. The couple in the video were getting Neil to move off of the road. The trained pro that comes to move him actually resembles a traffic cone, which is his arch nemesis. The entire community comes together to help move him out of yards and off roads to keep him safe.
The law enforcement should charge people when they harass Neil. And give them hefty fines, so they reconsider if it's worth the money and jail time!
I saw Neil just a couple days ago and said it's not going to be funny when he crushes car's.
Most other comments I saw led me to believe that they don't realize its a elephant.
I didn't know Neil was an elephant seal at first because he males aren't as recognizable without their nose lump that I can't spell the proper name for.
@@nightigal I know what you mean..funny as heck as a pup ( hahaha) pup...
He looks like he's going to be a Rockstar...mabe just put some stuff out there for him to bash and deal with it. Local attraction..start the training now...mabe??or not.
Good luck Friends
Honestly.
Especially since he does go up to people's houses, that kind of thing is funny when he's a baby, not when he's older.
I did not know people were poking him and getting too close.
Is there any way to enforce the distance of 65 ft?
Thank you for all the information you shared. I learned a lot - eg. seals, being the largest pinniped is fascinating.
Thanks for watching! Enforcement can be tricky and I'm not 100% familiar with the laws and regulations of Tasmania. In other places, like the US, seals like Neil would be protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. A good example is the critically endangered monk seals that live in Hawaii. Fines can reach up to 50,000 dollars, and even jail time, for disturbing the monk seals. Some people have been fined after being identified from their social media posts that showed them getting too close to the seals. My guess is that enforcement in Tasmania would be up to the Marine Conservation Program, the people who I showed relocating Neil.
Great video!
Is there an update on the situation? How is he doing now?
Sounds like he has moved on since it is no longer breeding season! We shall see what happens next year.
That’s good to know.
So i did think Neil was chasing them away when he was running towards them, but after seeing the videos of the adult seals fighting, im much more terrified. I think i was lookin at Neil like i look at a Chihuahua. Also thought Neil's fight with sticks was him just scratching itself. Im glad i found this video and im more educated now.
Long live Neil!!
I think Neil is trying to avoid alot, including sharks. They don't seem to like red, Orange, or white. For now, i think he is just trying to stay safe .
Man do i love seals. I think theyre my favourite animal
They are pretty cool!
They shouldn't have euthanized the walrus as she didn't attack anyone, but sent the people harassing her to jail. Regarding Neil, it is said he was relocated and came back. For whatever reason, he likes it there. I hope the community rallies around protecting Neil because it is clear they love the big lug.
OMG 😲 the Freya story is so incredibly sad. 😢 People are idiots.
I hope he will be ok. I remember a seal in London who got hurt by dogs 2 years ago and he had to be euthanized.
As cute as Neil is, he might get quite dangerous when he's grown and should be led back to his natural habitat. I watched videos of a giant adult elephant seal, that tried to mate with a pickup truck and mauled it, when the car refused.
Neil makes the town famous and lots visitors will visit the town
Those things are scary. I got pretty close to a breeding beach in Argentina. They're massive. And just one roar and we got out of there. It's hard to explain how huge they are unless you're close to them, something I wouldn't recommend. I thibk that beach is closed for tourists now.
The fact that in the videos where they have been seen using their noses to make the sounds that are used to scare away less dominant males. By putting them in their mouths makes me wonder do they ever accidentally bite their own nose?
Probably hahaha. I also saw an awful video of two males fighting and one basically bites off the others’ nose 😩
@@KPassionate I actually saw that video to.
Neil the pill is a lot of fun to observe from afar.
It entertains me to NO end to compare Neil to my dog
2:58
That's a delineator, meant to outline where the road is in bad weather and other low-visibility conditions. That shiny part at the top reflects light from car headlights, to make it easier to see.
Considering that traffic cone as well...
BEHOLD, NEIL THE SEAL, MENACE OF TRAFFIC CONTROL EQUIPMENT! FEAR HIS POWER, AND STAY BACK FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!!
Very well done. Appreciate the quality.
Glad you enjoyed it!
That’s so saddening and frustrating, why can’t people give wild life the space and respect they deserve…
I thought he was like a yearly thing, like he rocks up for breeding season and then leaves. Hopefully he will go back to the ocean after breeding season is done and finds a new beach next year
I hope H5N1 influenza isn't the cause of the population declining. I've read that it's killing seals and seabirds in the Atlantic sub-antarctic islands. I don't know if animal migrations could carry it to other sub-antarctic islands. If it reaches Antarctica it could be disastrous to the penguins, which are already in big trouble from climate change.
There's evidence that toxoplasmosis is infecting marine mammals that live on and off the coast of New Zealand.
Please take note of the experts advice, Neil needs to be kept safe, those looking out for him do a fantastic job, the public need to listen
so a potential darwin award winner among the turist
Why couldn't Freya be relocated somewhere else? Why did she have to be euthanized?
She could have been relocated. Their decision was lazy and heartless
@@KPassionate That's horrible. I remember hearing the story about Freya but didn't know she was killed. I hope the same doesn't happen to Neil.
Neil seems like he should be in a sanctuary. I never realized how large Elephant Seals are. Sad to see them fighting each other.
If you don’t like them fighting don’t learn about male lions
"That's because he's just a baby"
NEIL IS JUST A BABY!?
Well, not exactly a baby, but he is a juvenile. He is currently 4 years old and the males don't reach their full maturity until they are 9-12 years of age. He still has a long way to go.
Seen him and I love him!!!
Niel becomes celebrity goof ball
What has happened to the Tasmanians...the people who lived on Tasmania long before people from Britain?
Do a search on Trugani - Midnight Oil did a song about her
Thanks for the great video and information. I hope Neil makes it and he is left alone.
well, northern elefant seals are kinda close, not as big but still not that much smaller
The little white posts, cones and conservationists all had something in common. They all have reflective material, I wonder if that is part of his interest in them.
Omg. Why are some ppl so stubbornly ignorant
He was n my childhood home south arm.and in Dunalley
Wow, yet again, I am more frightened not by the large animal, but by the female saying 'ooh look how cute and funny he is' while he is about to charge her and potentially put her life at risk.. thanks for sharing this informative video about how scarey these giant wild animals actually are..
Yeah the locals all know not to get close or touch him.
THat was my concern, honestly. He's a juvenile, and cute now. But he's gonna get HUGE. A lot of those interactions do seem to be people just trying to bait him off roadways, and that just seems reasonable as long as you leave as soon as he's off the road.
Great video! Thank you!
AFAIK that transponder on it's head was attached recently, as an attempt to keep track of it and preempt where he might appear, to protect him from humans.
That’s a good idea. Thanks for the update!
Galumfing is a technical term LOL 🤣🤣🤣
So, to sum up, it would be totally awesome to have an awesome town mascot, but....people are monsters and that's why we can't have cool stuff.
Neil’s angry at the marine conversation officer for coming dressed as a traffic cone
Thank you !
He is adorable but i would never go close to him, id be terrified he'd bite my arm or leg. Im sure he has very sharp, strong teeth lol what is wrong with people lol. 😅
Is it possible that the sudden decline in population of those elephant seals was because of the bulls just killing everyone, each other and themselves?
Why don't they broadcasted it, over local radio then. To educate people on Neil, and tell them to stay away. Simple.
cause people are idiots and don't listen
@@halfknight2310 Yeah that's true.
I love Neil, but I'm happy to keep my distance and enjoy from afar. For his safety and my own.
The traffic cones seem to be his toys.
Omg. I hadn't heard of this, but what a cutie! I sure hope he gas a happy ending, unlike Freya.
If you are concerned about this, it is a concern the situation and questions need to be answered. When these things happen, there is this silence and secrecy, people don't know what is going on. The questions are important, because welfare is at stake. Questions like why is he on his own? Why are they not transferring him to a marine, conservation area or park so he doesn't go back into the town, or to ascertain if something is wrong with him or even for his and the towns people's safety?Or are they trying to find his family and to reunite him? Things like that, is he still in the town, or just update on what is going with him and the town?
That Futurama episode ...
Freya didn't deserve that at all.
"SEA ELEPHANT" is what it is, "seals" are like max 100kg creatures, SEA ELEPHANTS can get like +3000kg...
Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. I’ve met Neal and can confirm that he is a cutie pie. He was initially hauling out around Clifton Beach. He visits beaches and boat ramps around Frederick Henry Bay and Norfolk Bay. ❤🦭❤ We had a close encounter with him at a boat ramp.
They might if a fine is imposed
correct Tasmanian pronunciation: Niwl the Siwl.
Niwl loooves the orange traffic cones.
Hahahaha
😆 Even more accurate if you leave off the l, because we tend to use the ending w stand for the l for some reason
Very interesting !
I have been owned by cats 3/4ths of my life. Much as I love them, they are wild animals and have instincts rather than human minds. Not that they aren't smart. They are, but they are cats, not people, with claws and rules, sexual drives and dominance/territory issues. Not to mention their low opinion of dogs.
A seal should be treated with similar respect, because he can make a cat and her claws look so tiny. But remember, humans are pathetic. We have no real defenses in our bodies against the powers of large animals. Seals can sometimes even defeat a great white, much like a cat can defeat a threatening dog if she's angry enough.
If the seal can drive off a great white, it can certainly handle a human. Mind your place and keep your distance, for your own safety, and for his.
Love the information as I love learning about animals! I hope dumb humans are not the reason anything happens to him. I want nothing more than to see him grow up past his baby phase and grow to produce some more Niels.
There’s a funny video where he’s in front of a lady’s car and she can’t go to work ;)
I support this as a reason to call out of work 😂
Jesus, they're so big
Get a guy to be Neil's security😊
I volunteer as tribute! 😂
Our beaches are frequented by seal mothers and their pups, authorities are BEGGING people to stop touching and approaching the little ones. It has become so bad that the beaches are now fenced in,but people still climb over for some internet clout.....