Stark warning as tradie fined $1,200 after act with world-famous seal

Authorities have issued a stark warning to the public after a tradie who became “very fond” of a famous seal copped a $1,200 fine for allegedly disturbing him.

Local traffic controller Jason Howlett was accused of being on reserve land, disturbing the endangered southern elephant affectionately named Neil the Seal and littering by representatives of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) following an incident on November 30.

Howlett visited an undisclosed Tasmanian beach where Neil the Seal had settled before posting about the encounter online to a popular social media page dedicated to the gentle giant. Hewlett denies violating any rules and intends to fight the fine.

The 700kg juvenile became something of a tourist attraction after he was captured causing chaos around the island. Adorable scenes of Neil lounging in a popular park, lying across a road and visiting someone’s home scored him millions of fans worldwide — with Howlett behind a popular social media page dedicated to the gentle giant.

But a NRE Tasmania spokesperson told Yahoo that despite “good intentions” from members of the public, they “should not intervene”. “Members of the public should follow instructions of staff and signage at all times,” they told Yahoo News Australia.

The $1212 infringement notice was issued for being on reserve land and disturbing wildlife as well as littering. Source: Tiktok

Tasmanian authorities began keeping Neil’s location a secret after the “celebrity seal” became a TikTok sensation in 2023, drawing curious onlookers.

Howlett, who first interacted with Neil when he “invaded” a worksite told how he became “very fond” of the seal. His social media account has kept scores of fans updated on Neil’s antics when he comes to land, claims that he has “never” disclosed the seal’s location of Neil and he has “nothing but respect for Neil’s boundaries.”

The littering in question, Hewlett claims, refers to a traffic cone he gave the seal to “play with”.

Authorities told Yahoo that infringements are issued in response to public concerns. “Infringements can be issued for a deliberate act contrary to regulations or where educational avenues have been exhausted,” a spokesperson added.

Neil the Seal was just a little pup in 2020, and he’s grown larger every year. Source: NRE Tas

Wildlife biologist Sam Thalmann previously told Yahoo that Neil could one day weigh as much as 3,700kg when he reaches full maturity. As a four-year-old juvenile, he is exhibiting “classic” teenage behaviours like interacting with objects and testing his strength.

It’s expected that he will continue to visit Tasmania, but because he will become larger every year, and continue to be wild, he will pose more of a danger, though he isn’t likely to become outwardly aggressive to people.

“We don’t envisage that his behaviour will noticeably change. He’s quite opportunistic. He interacts with things he comes across,” Thalmann said. “But as he gets larger, instead of interacting with traffic cones, he might like the look of small hatchbacks and SUVs.”

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Image Credits and Reference: https://au.news.yahoo.com/stark-warning-as-tradie-fined-1200-for-act-with-neil-the-seal-011826909.html