Neil the Seal is Back... and DANGEROUS? A Marine Biologist Reacts

Neil the seal is back in Tasmania, and his latest run-in with traffic cones is causing a massive stir online. See why government workers are facing backlash for their attempt to move him. 00:00 - Neil the Seal is Back in Tasmania 01:56 - What Type of Seal is Neil the Seal 03:07 - Neil the Seal Reaction 07:13 - Why Is Neil the Seal Alone? UPDATE: The good news is that it sounds like Neil the Seal has finished his molt and returned to sea! Neil could still return or haul-out at a nearby location, and if he does then people still need to give him plenty of space. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/australia... Learn more about seals! Rescuing Seals in Namibia →    • I Rescued Seals Trapped In Deadly Plastic ...   Extreme Elephant Seal Adaptations →    • The Strangest Seal Species and Their Jaw-D...   My original video on Neil the Seal →    • Neil the Seal - A Marine Biologist REACTS ...   Neil the seal has become a local celebrity, but his recent appearance on a Tasmanian road has sparked intense debate. Staff from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment were filmed using a simple pole and board to move the massive animal, a strategy that many viewers found questionable. As fun as his antics are, Neil the Seal is a large and potentially dangerous animal. Neil is a male southern elephant seal and male elephant seals can be extremely territorial and aggressive. Which is what we see when Neil the Seal “plays” with traffic cones, cars, and those cement bollards. Just look at the wake of destruction Neil the Seal leaves behind. This is essentially practice for Neil. Bull elephant seals violently fight for breeding territory. The dominant "beachmaster" defends his prime stretch of beach and mating rights by vocalizing warnings, inflating his large nose, and brutally slamming his multi-ton bulk against challengers using his heavy canine teeth. And as big as Neil the Seal is… he’s going to get bigger. At the time of my first video, Neil the Seal was just 3 or 4 years old. Neal the Seal about 6 years old now but male elephant seals don’t reach maturity until they are closer to 10. Neil the Seal is only about 1,000 kilograms. Which is massive, but that’s still less than a third of the size of the beachmasters. Bull elephant seals can be between 1,500 to 3,700 kilograms or up to 8,200 pounds and almost 6 meters or 20 feet in length. To put that in perspective, take a look at some actual photographs of fully grown bull elephant seals. Not only are southern elephant seals the largest pinniped, they are the largest member of the carnivore order. While that does not justify or excuse the viral videos of the conversation group’s methods of trying to herd Neil the Seal off the road, I do think it might explain their mistakes. Something I’ve talked about ad nauseam on this channel is that all wild animals have the potential to be unpredictable and potentially dangerous, especially when they feel threatened. And Neil the Seal is an especially large wild animal. I think these officials are rightfully concerned with their own safety, but that also seems to be leading them to make some pretty egregious mistakes. So let’s break down what they’re trying to do, what they’re doing wrong, and how I think they should be going about trying to herd Neil the Seal off the road. Sources [1] https://people.com/twin-bear-cubs-mov... [2] https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/... [3] https://www.akses.co.id/en/tasmania-n... [4] https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/art... [5] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-0... Original Videos    • Sorting board training      • NEIGHBORHOOD PATROL Episode 2: Pedo Hunt      / @neiltheseal_316      / @marinemammalcenter      / @marinemammalcare      • KANE Sorting Panel 30"x 36", Red Review      • Gold Harbour, South Georgia 4K 60fps   -------------------------- Support KPassionate! KPassionateShorts →    / @kpassionateshorts   Patreon →   / kpassionate   TikTok →   / kpassionate   Discord →   / discord   Merch →https://shop.kpassionate.com ----------------------- Music Cody Martin - soundstripe.com Additional Images NOAA Fisheries cinejinn - soundstripe natureguy - stock.adobe.com DPRM - stock.adobe.com Silver - stock.adobe.com Ali - stock.adobe.com forrestbrown - stock.adobe.com Shamatha Pictures - stock.adobe.com JeremyRichards - stock.adobe.com blackboxguild - stock.adobe.com Keisergala - stock.adobe.com #kpassionate #neiltheseal #seal