Thiruvananthapuram: The next time you come across a wild elephant, resist the temptation to take a picture and upload it on social media with a boastful comment. You may be unwittingly pointing the animal to poachers on the prowl.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority has requested wildlife enthusiasts and researchers to desist from posting photographs of wild animals on social media with geo tags. A letter sent on June 17 to the chief wildlife wardens of all states and the heads of all tiger reserves in the country says that geo-tagging animals’ pictures amounts to an open invite for poachers.
The authority has made it clear that this was not a ban but an appeal for the sake of wild animals.
Posting photographs of endangered animals on Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram makes the job of criminals easier. Mohan Alambath, a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), had written to the Union ministry for Forest and Environment to point out the threat.
A tragic lesson from Malaysia
The dangerous trend was laid bare in Malaysia where two pygmy elephants were shot down soon after their photographs appeared on social media. The incident that happened in the Sabah province was reported in the latest issue of ‘Conservation Biology’ by Canadian professor Stephen Cook. The Carleton University professor has detailed the modus operandi of the net-savvy poachers and warned people not to geo-tag the pictures of wild animals.