Starting today Instagram will warn posts and hashtags that are associated with animal or nature abuse with an aim to protect Wildlife and Nature from Exploitation. People who search for a hashtag associated with harmful behavior to animals or the environment will now see the content advisory screen before letting you proceed.
This decision of Instagram comes after an investigation of National Geographic and World Animal Protection into wildlife tourism into the ever-growing industry of problematic wildlife tourism in the Amazon. National Geography claims that animals are being illegally captured from rain forests and then kept in cages, and hauled out for well-meaning tourists to hold and take selfies with.
The hashtag that triggers the warnings are in the hundreds and these warnings are also put in the local languages of countries like Thailand and Indonesia. Instagram has collects data and developed the list over several months after gathering the inputs from the World Wildlife Fund, TRAFFIC, and World Animal Protection on hashtags most associated with concerning behavior.
Instagram didn’t disclose the hashtag it selected that throw content advisory warning as it wants to prevent intentional searches and stumble on the warnings organically. National Geography says that it is the human interaction like hugging and cuddling that becomes stressful for the wildlife on being repeatedly handled and it’s hard for people to observe the effects in the animal they’re handling.
Commenting on its fight against Wildlife and Nature Abuse, Instagram in its blog said:
We are committed to fostering a safer, kinder world both on Instagram and beyond the app. If you’d like to learn more about endangered wildlife and exploitation, visit World Wildlife Fund, TRAFFIC, and World Animal Protection.