Mr Lou-Seal, a giant fur seal that spent Boxing Day wandering suburban Tasmania's streets will be released back into the wild.

Police and Parks and Wildlife officers spent much of Monday morning trying to capture the seal, which took a stroll along the streets in Newstead, Launceston, at one point managing to climb on to a car.

Police warned the public not to approach the large seal, seen here in Newstead. (Tasmania Police)

People were warned to stay away from the giant sea mammal to avoid agitating it, but the seal managed to become quite a celebrity in the suburb as news spread.

The seal was tranquillised by Parks and Wildlife officers in the late morning, but not before it had left large dents and a broken windscreen on the car.

The seal's antics were seen by resident Will Gregory.

"It did a bit of a stunt, must have trained up in the circus or something, and it zipped between the two cars and jumped off the back," he told Seven Network.

Tasmania Police, who dubbed the lost seal "Mr Lou-Seal", say the seal will be checked for any medical issues before it is relocated and released.

News footage showed police officers placing the heavy seal into the back of a caged trailer.

Mr Lou-Seal's actions had Tasmanians flocking to social media to explain their shock and wonder.

"What a sealebrity," Nathan Smith said on Facebook.

"How do you explain that one to the insurance company?" Gloria Cain said, mentioning the car's damage.

Photos of the seal showed it had been tranquillised close to a home's front gate.

The seal also reportedly took time to rest while on its stroll, taking a small snooze behind the car it had smashed.