After wreaking havoc on suburban streets and entertaining both locals and social media fans with his antics, Tasmania’s Neil the seal has finally returned to the sea.

“Neil the seal returned safely to sea last night,” the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) shared in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“This is his natural behaviour and was expected. Neil may return or haul out at another location.”

The five-year-old southern elephant seal, who weighs around 1000 kilograms, has been a familiar presence at Seven Mile Beach near Hobart in recent weeks, with videos of him sunbathing in the middle of the road, breaking bollards and overturning traffic cones attracting millions of views.

Born on the Tasmanian Peninsula, Neil returns twice each year for his haul out, in which he takes a rest on land after feeding at sea.

But there have been concerns he could be “loved to death” by the crowds drawn to watch him, prompting his fans to launch a petition calling for a “non-lethal management plan” for the seal that would include restricted zones around his known habitats and fines for those who disturbed him.

“For the people living in coastal towns across Tasmania, Neil the elephant seal is more than just a viral internet trend or a holiday photo opportunity,” it stated.

One of the two state politicians to whom the petition was addressed, Minister for Parks Nick Duigan, also shared the news on Thursday that the seal had gone back to sea.

“Our dear friend Neil the Seal appears to have moved on from the area,” he wrote on social media.

“We’ll miss his seal-y antics, but this is all part of his normal behaviour. A huge shout out to all the staff who are helping keep Neil safe at this time.”

Dozens of Neil’s fans and followers have commented on Duigan’s post, wishing the seal well.

“Oh this makes me sad we will miss him, but better off this way since no one could leave him alone and let him do his thing,” wrote one.

“I will miss the updates and antics of Neil until he next comes back for a much longer moult, have a safe journey Neil and I hope the fish are in abundance wherever you are going to fatten up,” commented another

NRE said the Marine Conservation Program is currently monitoring the situation and the local area, with anyone who sees Neil urged to call the marine mammal hotline on 0427 WHALES (0427 942 537).

The department also reminded people that if they do encounter him they must stay at least 20 metres away, keep dogs on a lead at least 50 metres away, and avoid blocking his access to the water.

Clive McMahon, of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, told ABC News it was normal for seals like Neil to head back to sea to feed after resting on land for several weeks.

McMahon predicted Neil would head towards Tasmania’s south-west.

“He’ll go to areas where there’s probably upwelling or there’s some mixing of the ocean, which promotes nutrients being drawn to the surface, which attracts zooplankton, and that attracts fish and squid, which are the primary diets for elephant seals.”