Selfie craze upsets animals

BRASILIA, Brazil, 6 October 2017: The craze for tourists taking selfies alongside wild animals then posting on Instagram is fuelling cruel treatment of iconic species in the Amazon, activists warn.

The charity World Animal Protection said in a report that Instagram has seen a 292% increase in wildlife selfies since 2014 around the world. Of these, more than 40% involved humans “hugging or inappropriately interacting with a wild animal.”

World Animal Protection said in the report released Tuesday that the animals are captured and often battered to make them perform for tourism businesses. Read more