Teen seal's titanic tantrum

The residents of the New Zealand town of Gisborne are facing a big problem - an adolescent elephant seal weighing over a tonne.

He has been named Homer after the cartoon character, but he is hardly harmless.

Fishermen say Homer has damaged several cars, flattened a couple of boat trailers and destroyed a tree.

Despite warning signs, people are still parking on the wharf.

Some are even getting close to Homer, standing within a metre of the seal.

One woman decided he needed companionship, singing to the creature and patting it.

Thirty seconds later she was running for her life.