Why Tiger Selfies Are Wrong | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

The Wild Animal In Your Selfie Is Drugged And Abused

An international problem that is putting a number of endangered species at a great risk.

74
https://www.flickr.com/photos/visnup/3174645882

Seeing people posing with wild animals isn't something that's new. Recently, a video went viral of a girl posing with a tiger laying on her back. Most people are shocked at how "well-trained" these wild animals are. However, it is less about how well-trained these animals are and more about how medicated they are.


People have been taking advantage of these medicated wild animals for a long time now. While traveling, people are often presented with the opportunity to take pictures with animals like lions, tigers, and hippos, as well as the opportunity to ride animals like elephants and camels.

The problem of people posing with these animals has gotten so bad that Tinder has issued a statement asking its users to remove any photos of them with animals from their pages.

So, how has the problem gotten as bad as it has?

Some people are simply ignorant about what is really going on. A lot of the places that offer these opportunities present themselves as zoos, so most people assume that this means that they treat the animals well. However, that is not the case. These "zoos" often medicate and sedate the animals to make them "safer" for people to be around and interact with.

These "zoos" keep prices low, and often promote false promises, like stating that they donate the money to charities that aid in the conservation efforts of tigers.

These "zoos" not only put the tigers that they own at risk, but they are putting all tigers at risk. There is this thing in the United States called the Species Survival Plan. It monitors the well-being of animals that are kept in captivity across the nation. It helps to monitor the way they are treated and ensures that nothing wrong is being done to them. Unfortunately, the tigers that are being kept in these sideshows are not a part of this plan, and thus not being monitored. This can affect the way plans are made in the future for the care of wild cats.

A similar situation happens with larger animals like elephants. This usually happens outside the United States, where elephants are naturally found. People can pay to ride elephants through the water, something that looks great online. However, elephants naturally don't let people ride them. These animals that people are allowed to ride have been tortured in order to make them submit to this act.


So, how can people avoid giving money to companies like these?

The first thing you can do is get informed. Before going to a place like this, make sure that they are following the law when it comes to protecting wild and endangered animals. If you find that there's a place near you that is exploiting their animals, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or even local police. Also, try lobbying in local and state government to try and get stricter restrictions to protect these wild animals and help to shut down the places that exploit them.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

4259
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments