Neil the Seal: Marine Biologist's Take on the Viral Sensation
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
- #neiltheseal #seal #kpassionate
Neil the Seal's viral videos have taken the internet by storm but wildlife experts are surprisingly concerned. A marine biologist tells you why.
00:00 - Neil the Seal
00:33 - What Kind of Seal is Neil the Seal?
02:44 - Why Neil the Seal Plays With Traffic Cones
04:12 - Concern For Neil the Seal
05:48 - Where is Neil the Seal?
06:43 - The Best of Neil the Seal
08:03 - Elephant Seal vs Car
Neil is a southern elephant seal. Which is the largest living pinnipeds. Southern elephant seals are often TWICE the size of a full grown walrus. Male southern elephant seals can be 20 feet long and weigh up to 8,800 pounds! Elephant seals only come onto land to molt their fur and to reproduce. Bull elephant seals will use their large, inflatable nose called a “proboscis” to produce a noise that sounds like a drum as a way to vocally threaten each other and scare away weaker males.
Which brings us to Neil the Seal. You can clearly see that Neil is not fully grown. He reportedly weighs around 1,000 to 1,300 lbs. He also doesn’t have that big proboscis yet. That’s because he’s just a baby. Neil was born in 2020 on the southern tip of Tasmania near Hobart where he was tagged by the Marine Conservation Program. So he’s only about 3 years old. Male southern elephant seals don’t usually reach maturity until they’re around 6 years old and won’t even begin competing with other bulls until they’re closer to 10.
Even though Neil isn’t fully mature, he still has that natural instinct to come onto land during the breeding season. And that brings me to why myself and other wildlife experts are concerned. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment AND the Marine Conservation Program have repeatedly told people to keep themselves and their pets at least 20 meters or 65 feet away from Neil. But people aren’t listening. According to Time Magazine, there have been at least three instances of people harassing Neil by poking and prodding him with sticks and even touching him… leading wildlife officials to urge the public to report potential acts of animal cruelty.
On the other hand, there are absolutely a lot of positive things about Neil the Seal. Videos of him are fun and most of them are harmless interactions. They’ve brought a lot of interest in southern elephant seals who are a threatened species in Australia. Since the 1950s, there has been an unexplained decline in the subpopulations of southern elephant seals in the Pacific Ocean. The reasons for the decline is currently unknown. Thankfully the population is currently considered stable and we want to keep it that way. We want Neil to grow up into one of those massive bulls who has a harem of 40-50 females so that the population can continue to rebound.
Cited Sources:
[1] time.com/6550164/neil-the-sea...
[2] ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marin...
[3] www.winnipegfreepress.com/art...
[4] www.canberratimes.com.au/stor...
[5] www.theguardian.com/australia...
[6] / pfbid0hetjjgzwvbwujl5c...
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neal the seal, niel the seal, nieltheseal, nealtheseal, kpassionate, tasmania, neil the seal tasmania
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 → ua-cam.com/video/YhqZCDSQ3rA/v-deo.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 😂
Freyas story always gets me. She wasn't a threat to humans, it was the other way around. Just like in Niels case. Hope Niel 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
Seal: car is threat. Seal: must destroy car.
CAR IS OTHER BULL
I believe the video where he's chasing that person may be one of a small group of locals that keeps an eye on Neil and encourages him away from the road when needed (if Police or Marine Volunteers can't get their first). Agree the older couple were way too close though. Neil should be admired from the required distance. Neil has also now returned to the ocean until next year. Thankfully he didn't need to be relocated this time around.
Yeah he tends to lounge in the middle of roads and is unfortunately always in danger of getting run over. Or he sometimes tries to go into people’s garages and lawns so in some instances, it’s definitely valid why people are close to him or trying to antagonize him to get him to move. He seems very well loved and protected by the community so hopefully nothing will happen to him. Though if he keeps getting into houses and such when he’s an adult, it would become quite dangerous so that has to be curbed asap.
What might be a better thing to do with this seal is relocate him well away from people altogether. He may of course been relocated already if he hasn't been relocated then he needs to be because the longer this seal is around people things for this seal may turn bad at the moment the locals may not have a problem however how long will that last so best the authorities move him for his own good.
@hajarmdn4883 what you are describing is a good reason why it might be better if this seal was relocated to a area away from people otherwise either he is either going to end up being run over by a vehicle or he may end up attacking someone which would mean he would have to be destroyed, so it would definitely be better for this seal to be relocated to a area with few or no people.
@@christophera556 He's returned to the sea now. Parks and Wildlife officers keep a close eye on him when he is on land, and there are usually several trained community volunteers that can assist Neil if absolutely necessary. He has been relocated before, from a different area of Tasmania, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania will always step in if they feel Neil is not safe where he is. People still absolutely need to be more careful with him, respect his space and maintain their distance, and also to not go advertising exactly where he is and encourage a bunch of happy snapper tourists to flock to his spot.
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.
Port Angeles Washington sometimes has a elephant seal that molts in the harbor parking lot. They shutdown all access and hire guards to keep people away.
I didn’t know that. I lived in Sequim, for a few years, and miss it so much. I’ll have to ask my friends who lives in Port Angeles if they’re familiar.
Thanks, for sharing.
The trained professional arrives dressed as a traffic cone.
Now that you mention it... that does seem like a poor choice of color. :D
As soon as I found out about Neil, I immediately thought about Freya and got concerned...
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!!!
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?
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! ^^
I think some people are so use to their domesticated animals, they project the behaviors they see in their dogs or cats or whatever onto wild animals. Which is a bad thing and I wish they would listen to professionals like you. The fact that these animals try to fight cars should be enough encouragement for people to keep their distance.
I'm Indonesian. The occasion like marine mammals get into the land like Neil is a rare thing (or maybe never happened) here. I knew Neil from youtube videos where in most of them he looked cute and funny. I didn't know some of his behavior is actually a natural self-defense of seals. Thanks for sharing with us, KP.
Respect wild animals and their space.
Thanks for watching!
Me neither lol. I was pretty sure him opening is mouth was him communicating he's not happy about the situation, but I didn't know that him fighting traffic cones was him practicing beating up other male elephant seals.
Only five were successfully weaned!? Dang!!
And seeing people get close to wildlife will never not get my dander up now, lol.
Honestly though!!
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.
I just want to see the townspeople cheering Neil on when he does eventually challenge another Elephant Seal bull
You know people are going to record it, and it will end up on the internet with one of the following songs:
Rules of Nature - Metal Gear Rising
The Battle - Gladiator Soundtrack
Duel of the Fates/Battle of the Heroes - Star Wars
Thanks for telling people about him! I live in the same town as him, and my friend is the neighbour of the original person whos car got blocked by him!
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! .-.
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.
Neil is the one taking over yards. Yes some of these people are idiots but the ones waking up to him napping in the front yard is hard to ignore.
Educating people on the best way to enjoy wildlife for years to come 👍
The tradfic thing is a reflector to alert drivers where the edge of the road is at night
Nah looks like a utility marker to me but they could be different in AU
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.
Thank you for making this video! As an amateur biologist I was wondering about some of the natural behaviors I have seen in the videos and it’s cool to see some of my hypotheses confirmed. ☺️ I consider myself an athlete and quite strong and I never ever understand how people are like, “yeah, a three hundred pound seal poses no physical danger to me”
I wonder if all of Neil’s practice with traffic cones will make him more successful later in life. :3
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.
Why can’t people just leave wild animals alone? The animal always pays in the end
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.
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?
In Australia you would find the whole town come out and get rid of the people that would even try to hurt him.
As others have mentioned, this situation has Freya written all over it ☹️
As an Australian 🇦🇺 I can confirm that there would be a mutiny if the government put Neil the Seal 🦭 down
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…
Is that a cookiecutter shark bite mark on Neil's back? Those sharks are frightening.
It certainly looks like it could be! I agree. Nightmare fuel.
Thank you KP and Neal. may Neal live long safe from unaware humans and free
I had no idea how big they are! Very interesting animal. People should be arrested for harassing them.
Cute and educational. I live on a lake in Washington State near Olympic National Park. We have a wintering group of North American River Otters because of their being so few year-round residents (they love the endless supply of lake trout put in by the local government each year, as do the hawks, osprey, eagles etc.). I am still learning about these local winter residences 🙂).
So sad about Freya that’s not fair
Thank you for giving a size comparison to a car...holy Hannah they're huge!
Why couldn't they transport Freya the walrus somewhere else instead of killing her?
It was a lazy and inhumane decision. Easiest for people.
Passion is in your name, and it comes through. Thank you for providing content I can nerd out to.
I appreciate that!
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.
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 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.
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.
Thank you for sharing, this is really interesting.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Neil resembles a bowling alley skittle in the thumbnail..😅❤
I was just at the breeding ground near San Simeon, CA. So cool! ✌🏼
Tasmania and Neil’s towns should put notices in papers an tv news about Freya’s story, have the schools get the kids to educate their parents. Have the businesses tell patrons and put up posts on community boards and hotels can use info cards in rooms, etc
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!! 😮
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 🤦
My friend George Costanza was a marine bioigist.
The sea was angry that day
People need to understand that you should not mess with wild animals. It never ends well.
Very well done. Appreciate the quality.
Glad you enjoyed it!
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."
Love this video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks for watching!
Great video! Thank you!
Thank you. Excellent video
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ll thank Neil for finding your channel. 👍
I feel smarter 😀
Thank you !
KP, I know your busy, but this has been bothering me since I read it. The Vaquita, mexican dolphin, there are only 10 left, basically extinct. Why did people wait so long to help it survive??? With 10 left, what can you do??? I read this and it was upsetting. I just don’t understand. Thank you as always.
I would love to chat about this as I was actually part of a rescue effort that was going to capture and captively breed the species. But it would be much better to chat about on stream! Will you be there on Sunday? I can put it on my topics to cover list
@@KPassionate Instagram?
No on Twitch. I don’t stream on instagram usually.
@@KPassionate I will be there with fins on!!!!!! 🥰
From what I saw, it was a mix of corruption, and the species itself was discovered quite late. It was discovered and recorded when already endangered.
So glad I found this vid, I’ve been concerned about the effects human interactions is having on Neil. Also only a matter of time til he hurts someone or a pet
The epitome of "OH LAWD HE COMIN!"
Very interesting !
Awesome, thx
Thanks!
You are most welcome. And thank you so much for the support!
@@KPassionate You bet! I have learned a lot!!! Thank 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.
Thanks for the great video and information. I hope Neil makes it and he is left alone.
I’ve just seen an article on Facebook that he is back.
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!
The crazy part is Neil is still a young bull and he’s still got a ways to grow before he’s a full grown adult
Long live Neil!!
Seen him and I love him!!!
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.
Poor Neil...why don't people leave him alone...
Because he's cute but imagine if he looks like a leopard seal. People will be scared of him by just looking. Looks can be deceiving.
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??!!
Thanks for this video on Neil, and also, YUKI PLUSH IN BACKGROUND AT 2:43 SO SQUISHY YAY!
I always wondered about that mark on Neils head. Thank you for letting me know it was a tagging mark. Interesting. No elephant seals (or elephants) here in Pennsylvania but we do have very angry turkeys.
That’s so saddening and frustrating, why can’t people give wild life the space and respect they deserve…
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.
I don't use TikTok, but Neil popped up on UA-cam yesterday and now I'm fully invested in his antics. Initially, I thought he's a zany goofball, but I quickly worried about his safety and longevity. What happens if he crosses the line or meets an unwelcoming human? What happens when he reaches full physical and sexual maturity? How will he fare out in the wild when he must fend for himself and not rely on the kindness of humans? What happens when he meets others of his kind?
We have a lot of elephant seals who come ashore in California. From what I have seen everyone who comes to see them stays far away from them.
Here in California we have a lot of Seals and Sea Lions. Especially the Elephant Seals in San Simeon.
Neil’s gonna grow up to be a big boy
I hope so!!!
He's just a baby.
Love that philodendron ring of fire in the background. Such a cool plant.
Right?! It just unfurled the most beautiful leaf too!
Messing with animals that just so happened to be friendly isn't a free pass to walk up to it. It's still wild. As "friendly" as they look.
Just tell people to not bother Neil and if they get hurt doing that just tell them it is their own fault. Solved.
Man he really demolished that car
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.
I honestly agree with you, I'm one of those advocating for the life of Neil, and I get flamed by those oh he's just a big puppy people. There is a video on here of an elephant seal attacking a man. It was vicious. People in Tasmania think he's some kind of trained seal act in a zoo. There is so much danger in humanizing a wild animal. And the tourists are the worst. Eventually when Neil gets aggressive enough, he will be put down. It's so sad, because he's a beautiful creature
The host is a great presenter.
Niel is so precious
Neil the pill is a lot of fun to observe from afar.
While I will be heartbroken if he is put down, and I take your points… Neil will never have the speed and dexterity nearly all other large wild animals like the Bison have. It is hard to imagine him successfully chasing down anyone.
I actually have a LOT to say about this one, though my personal area of special interest is Northern Elephant Seals. The hemispheres' seasons are flipped, do the Southern Elephant Seals have the same migration schedule, or is it 6 months off from Northern. December and January are breeding season for NESs but that would be high summer for SESs, and I would think they would be out to sea, but maybe the ocean currents work different and they head north instead of toward Antarctica?
I don’t think they really go to Antarctica…but maybe I’m wrong!
What I found while researching this video was that they are mainly sub-antarctic. They do visit Antarctica but mainly to feed. The main sub-population breeding grounds are South Georgia, Peninsula Valdez, Iles Kerguelen and Heard Island, and Macquarie Island. Most of the B-roll footage of the adult males was filmed in South Georgia.
@@KPassionate so you admite you dont know but claim niels in danger? ok....
I don't need to know a species entire range, habitat, and breeding grounds to recognize when humans are harassing a wild animal, especially when there are hundreds of videos on social media of people antagonizing him.
@@KPassionate lol harassing how? oh i get it your one of those man laws out weights natures laws kind of person, got it.
In Aotearoa/NZ the standard if you see a marine mammal is to stay at least 50 m away. They’re smaller seals here too, such as leopard seals and kekeno (NZ fur seals).
Oh you work at Stanley park!?!. Thats amazing.
Nope. I work in Washington
OK. Your setup for the sea lion with background is exactly like ours in Vancouver Ca.
@@PraxisPeabody I used to work there years ago.
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.
Freya didn't even do anything. I hate people.
They really are the worst