Put down your mobiles and embrace an animal, selfie king urges Hongkongers
Allan Dixon has attracted a mass following with his humorous photos, but his real aim is inspiring people to reconnect with wildlife
The floor is burning hot under the strong sun, but that does not stop traveller Allan Dixon from lying down with four dogs in a Hong Kong dog park for a selfie.
From kangaroos and quokkas to camels and tiny birds, Dixon, “the animal selfie king”, regularly captures hilarious moments with his camera and has about 440,000 followers of his Instagram account.
Watch: Dixon shares tips on selfie with animals
Chasing puppies in the park at Ap Lei Chau on a recent Tuesday, the energetic 30-year-old Irishman said he could not imagine his life without animals, because they gave him unconditional love.
“You can look at them and there won’t be any awkwardness. You can also just give them a hug, and they will really appreciate it,” the self-proclaimed animal whisperer said. “If they weren’t here, you wouldn’t have the gratitude and unconditional love.”
A post shared by Allan Dixon - Adventurer (@daxon) on Mar 31, 2017 at 2:16am PDT
The engineering graduate first became a social media sensation in 2013 by wining the Best Job in the World Competition organised by the government agency Tourism Australia. Dixon, as an Outback adventurer, was paid to tour the country for six months, blog about his experiences and showcase the beauty of the country to the world.
That was when he took his first animal selfie, which led to many more creative shots and eventually went viral online.