Selfies. Normally, when someone thinks of the word, their mind is probably in a good place. Selfies are fun, they help create memories and they’re an easier form of picture-taking that doesn’t require a valuable object such as a phone or camera to be handed over to a stranger just so a vacation photo can be taken. Selfies are even acting as a form of a confidence booster in teenagers, though in recent years, it’s also being argued that selfies and narcissism are linked.
Whichever side of the argument you decide to favor, one thing is obvious: humans are egocentric creatures. With that being said, there is a very fine line between narcissism itself and egocentrism.
So how far exactly do some go for the sake of that perfect selfie? Sometimes, too far.
In the past few weeks, multiple stories have been popping up all over the Internet concerning the death of wildlife for the sake of a selfie. A few dolphins were passed around in Argentina by tourists wanting to take photos with the animals. Of the dolphins passed around, at least one was reported to have died. The specific species of dolphin in this incident is known as the Franciscan dolphin – or La Plata dolphin – and is vulnerable to extinction due to dwindling numbers, according to the IUCN Red List. La Plata river dolphins, despite their name, are one of the only species of river dolphins to live in saltwater estuaries and the ocean, rather than freshwater explicitly. These dolphins are extremely small, and due to their habitat being shallow waters this puts them extremely close to the shore where they are at risk of habitat depletion, runoff pollution and the activity of people and boats.
Then, in Florida, a man forced a shark out of the ocean in order to get his own pictures for social media. It’s unknown whether or not the shark survived the ordeal it faced. Similarly, in China, two peacocks died from fright after being manhandled by tourists for pictures and having their feathers plucked to keep as a memento.
These bizarre situations where animals get pulled from their natural environment by tourists aren’t the only thing causing deaths to wild animals for the sake of a picture. Sanctuaries are becoming more popular throughout the world and offering up the chance to take a picture with and see endangered wildlife up close and personal. In Thailand, it’s popular to have a picture taken with a slow loris, and visits to the Tiger Temple will get you face-to-face with the stunning felines.
When animals are put somewhere that isn’t their natural, wild environment, their lifespan is often cut short. These sanctuaries not only take off years of potential life, they’re also known for putting the animals at risk due to them often being drugged, clipped or even beaten in order to be kept docile for visiting tourists. But they also put the humans visiting in danger. Incidents have been reported of the captive tigers mauling both tourists and volunteers alike. These sanctuaries have even been associated with black market trade, which shouldn’t be what comes to mind when one thinks of a “sanctuary.”
What with climate change, deforestation, pollution, threat of extinction and the natural food chain – you’d think animals have enough to worry about without humans pulling them out of their natural environment and into another environment where they can’t even breathe. All this just for a picture. This disconnect humans have with reality is exactly what has our planet’s extinction at a rate of 1,000 times faster than it should be.
In each of the cases where animal life was sacrificed for a selfie, none of the people seem to have even thought about the fact that they were endangering another life. They appear to have not even taken into account the terror these animals must have felt. For their short moment of fame, these people were willing to treat animals as an object.
The saddest part is, this type of human-animal interaction isn’t unheard of. Whether or not selfies and narcissism are actually linked, it is undeniable that there’s a serious narcissistic, borderline egocentric, attitude toward animals and the treatment of them. But the “selfie culture” isn't the root of this problem. Humans themselves are. Whether it be wildlife we want to take a picture of or our own pets, there are many people that see animals as lesser, and to be used as an object. I’ll admit that I love taking pictures with my cats – when they agree to it. Animals shouldn’t have to suffer at the hands of human ego.
But suffer they do, and it’s a serious problem that’s putting some of our world’s most beautiful lifeforms at risk. Despite conservation efforts from amazing, determined groups of people – the fact of the matter is, humans just don't care enough to save what is being lost. It's going to take the actual complete loss of everything, and therefore our resources, to care. By then, it will be too late.
