The Cruel Cost of Animal Selfies
A campaign is working to raise awareness of “bad animal selfies” as reports come in of the brutal conditions these picture perfect animals must live in.
Early morning in Manaus and the first rays of sunlight pierce through the dense blanket of fog that has drifted off the Amazon River overnight and wrapped itself languidly around the Brazilian city. Manaus, which serves as a gateway to the Amazonian rainforest, is a popular tourist destination sitting on the nexus of the murky Rio Negro and the famed Amazon River. A launchpad for jungle adventures, Manaus whets traveler’s appetites with local tours promising exotic animal encounters.
With an estimated 94 percent of local tour operators offering animal excursions, travelers could almost be forgiven for paying a small fee to enjoy a glorified petting zoo in Manaus. With smartphone and selfie stick in hand, locals introduce tourists to caged ocelots, deceptively smiling sloths, timid anteaters, green anacondas and vibrant toucans. As travelers roam the dirt-packed grounds of the local’s home, sloths are picked up and posed with, anacondas are wrapped around shoulders like feather boas and toucans are playfully placed on heads.
