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.[2][5]
Later events saw Neil more closely interacting with humans, often leaving the beach and resting on the city's roads, or even following people.[2] In one instance in 2023, Neil was found basking in someone's front lawn for a few hours,[3] while another instance downing a fence in Dunalley.[5] He was relocated in April 2023 after people and dogs harassed him in Kingston Beach.[6][7]
Neil is an internet celebrity, having, at the moment of editing, 154,000 followers on Instagram under the username "neiltheseal22" as of January 20, 2024,[5][8] and over 730,000 followers on TikTok as of January 3, 2024.[1]
