A flippant 600kg elephant seal has become an online sensation after wrecking havoc in a small Australian town.

The seal, nicknamed Neil, showed up in Dunalley after previously visiting Tasmania in April.

Wide, large, and oblivious, Neil has been keeping Dunalley locals on their feet by blocking off streets, scratching himself with road posts, and sleeping in front of people’s homes.

Neil even has his own Instagram page, which boasts 16.5k followers and a very active online presence, while on TikTok there are numerous videos of Neil, some with millions of views.

Clips show locals interacting with the seal, one man giving Neil a morning wash with his garden hose despite the seal causing damage to his house.

There’s also footage of a stand-off between Neil and a local police officer who “know each other really, really well”, according to TikToker Jason Howlett, who posts multiple Neil clips.

“They have a love-hate relationship,” Howlett says in the video.

Howlett has been closely documenting Neil’s interactions with the community, which mostly involves Neil pancaking himself on the ground, much to the delight of locals.

His most popular Neil video shows the seal resting in front of the front door of a house, while Howlett can be heard saying “someone lives here, mate.”

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (DNRE), an average of 12 elephant seals are reported in the state each year.

In November, Neil made the seaside town Primrose Sands his home, with activities including blocking local Amber Harris’ car, delaying her morning commute to work, according to news.com.au.

Though Neil has stolen hearts across the globe, anthrozoologist Dr. Bruce Englefield told Yahoo News earlier this year the mass amount of affection being shown to the seal could be a bad thing.

“As soon as you give them a name, people think of them as being like humans,” he said.

“It creates a problem of thinking he’s lovely and cuddly, but he’s not – he’s a 400kg wild animal who could kill you.”