A video uploaded on December 18 2017 showing the life of a tiger used in the holiday selfie industry has been seen by millions of people, eliciting a wave of anger online.The big cat, owned and exploited by a business in Thailand, spends his life chained up and subjected to the wants of tourists, who touch, stroke and even sit on him with little consideration for his comfort. Employees make him growl and snarl by poking him with a stick - all for a photo that will most likely be used to get likes on social media.
Source: Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
Edwin Wiek, founder of non-profit Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, said:
This tiger gets poked all day, hundreds of times a day so it will roar for the picture with tourists.
Wild animals used in selfies – bears, tigers and lions are most popular – are often drugged to avoid risking customers’ lives when they interact with them.Once medicated, they become docile and will calmly accept what would usually be an uncomfortable and stressful situation. Thailand often finds itself under fire by people and animal associations alike, who say that they are essentially profiting from animal abuse.
Today witnessed the ugliness of tourism and wildlife in Pattaya; this tiger gets poked all day, hundreds of times a day so it will roar for the picture with tourists. Time for a change of laws! Sharing this in advance of Thai National wildlife day on December 26th.Publié par Edwin Wiek sur lundi 18 décembre 2017
However, it’s tourists who feed this vile industry, usually completely unaware of the misery that goes into producing one ‘amazing’ photo. Because of this, it’s up to us, the public, to put an end to it by refusing to buy into these ‘experiences’.By depriving companies who let people touch wild animals of money, we say no to exploitation and abuse, forcing the businesses that thrive from these practices to change their ways and stop using our four-legged friends for tourism. Be aware of what you endorse with your cash by knowing which tourist activities are cruel to animals.
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