Destinations known | Is social media to blame for unethical wildlife tourism? For Asia’s endangered animals, internet fame has a dark side
- The social-media-fuelled experience economy has helped legitimise using exotic animals as selfie props
- Environmental groups call for education to raise awareness of the ways these creatures are trained and treated
Picture this: a wide-eyed lemur/cuddly koala/listless large cat occupies the same frame as a smirking tourist, whose expression lies somewhere between self-satisfied and panic-stricken; might this ostensibly wild animal surrender to primal instincts and react to its captor accordingly?
Beneath said image, comments accumulate. Many extol the creature’s cuteness, some express a desire to possess it as a pet, most ignore the fact that the animal is kept in captivity exclusively for the benefit of selfie-serving travellers.
Except, according to an Instagram policy that came into effect in December 2017, we should no longer be seeing these images. When it was announced, National Geographic reported that “the social network will now alert users to behaviour that harms wildlife”. Searches or clicks on hashtags such as “slothselfie” elicit the following warning on the platform: “Protect Wildlife on Instagram. Animal abuse and the sale of endangered animals or their parts is not allowed on Instagram. You are searching for a hashtag that may be associated with posts that encourage harmful behaviour to animals or the environment.”
At the time, Instagram spokeswoman Emily Cain told the magazine, “I think it’s important for the community right now to be more aware. We’re trying to do our part to educate them.”
And it’s not just sloths. Anyone searching for #koalaselfie, #lionselfie, #tigerselfie, #lemurselfie and #elephantselfie will be met with the same message, although users wishing to peruse posts with those tags can still do so. The alert can also be easily evaded by adding an “s”, and a recent search for the hashtag “elephantselfies”, while not affixed to as many images, found accounts encouraging travellers to feed and bathe elephants on the Indonesian island of Bali, which is not known for its exemplary treatment of animals.