Stop taking ‘selfish selfies’ with captive wildlife, charity says, urging tourists to boycott photo trade driven by social media that fuels animal cruelty
- Wildlife charity Born Free highlights the dark side of the souvenir photo trade, in which tourists hungry for likes take photos with captive animals
- The NGO says animals are separated from family groups, abused and drugged, and urges holidaymakers to end the cruel practice by not taking ‘selfish selfies’
It’s a scene that plays out every day: an ill-informed tourist posing with a wild animal for a photo opportunity.
Last week, Australian influencer Rory Eliza made headlines when a video she posted of herself holding a chained monkey while on holiday in Thailand, and another of her reaction afterwards, went viral.
The experience left her in tears after she realised the terrible conditions in which animals that are forced to provide such opportunities are kept. She took to social media to warn others not to make the same mistake.
“These imprisoned animals show signs of extreme anger, stress, depression & disease and sometimes they even have open wounds on their bodies and unless we speak up for the voiceless, nothing will change and these innocent animals will continue to suffer.”
“I struggle to understand the ignorance in the tourists that visit these places, how could you ever think it would be acceptable?” wrote one internet user.
“What do you expect when you wanna hold a monkey? That they walk up to you and hug you? … There is no good in holding a wild animal,” wrote another.
“Everyone knows this – why would you even support them?” wrote a third.
No animal exists for our entertainment, to suffer for the sake of a souvenir photograph
And the reckless pursuit of social-media likes is fuelling the trade.
On June 1, global wildlife charity Born Free released “Selfish Selfies: The Exploitation of Captive Wild Animals for Souvenir Photos”, a comprehensive report urging holidaymakers not to take such pictures.
The study highlights serious animal-welfare issues, threats to species in the wild, and the public health and safety risks associated with using captive wild animals as living props.
Although the cruelty may not be immediately evident, the reports says animals exploited in this way may have been subject to any number of brutal practices.
Many are removed from their mothers and family groups as babies, while others have their teeth and claws removed to stop them biting or scratching.
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Photo-prop animals are often dressed up, chained, tethered or even sedated with drugs concealed in feeding bottles, while the handling and exposure to sun, noise, camera flashes and crowds can be stressful.
They may also be forced to live in cramped conditions, suffer malnutrition and be denied medical treatment.
“No animal exists for our entertainment, to suffer for the sake of a souvenir photograph, to live a life blighted by cruelty for the instant click of a camera,” says Virginia McKenna, co-founder of Born Free.
“Be a voice for the voiceless. Pledge not to take a ‘Selfish Selfie’ and be part of a movement toward a fairer, kinder world, for all living creatures.”
Lek Saengduean Chailert has long been giving a voice to the voiceless – mostly elephants trapped in the Thai tourist trade.
“For an elephant to accept someone in the saddle, to allow a tourist to ride it, it must go through a cruel process,” she says. “Behind the scenes, elephant training for tourist entertainment is horrific.”
The elephant must first be “broken” in a long and cruel process known as “the crush”, which involves the animal being tied up and beaten into submission.
Lek, who spoke while on her way to save a baby elephant, says educating people about the cruel elephant-riding trade is a big part of her mission.
“These babies are ripped away from their mothers at a very young age,” she says, adding that some elephant-riding operators lie and say the babies were orphaned.
It’s not just the wildlife that is suffering. The safety of tourists is also at risk, the Born Free report says.
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Wild animals are naturally unpredictable and dangerous, particularly when stressed and kept in appalling conditions. As a result, direct contact with captive wild animals, including posing with animals for photos and selfies, has resulted in human injury and even death.
The report also raises concerns about the spread of disease. Many animals are carriers of zoonotic pathogens, organisms that can spread from animals to people.
Born Free says that while the public can play a big role in driving change, governments globally need laws to address animal-welfare concerns.
The charity also wants better regulation of the travel industry to prohibit the advertising and sale of activities that negatively affect animal welfare.
Travel companies and tour operators must stop promoting excursions that feature animal photo props and close those activities that involve contact with captive wild animals, it says.
Born Free co-founder Will Travers wants people to pledge never to have their photo taken with a captive wild animal, however tempting it may be.
