Taking selfies can harm animals.

At the International Penguin Conference in New Zealand, alongside serious discussions about the dangers of climate change and habitat loss, a seemingly unrelated issue was raised: taking selfies with wild animals. Experts are increasingly concerned that people's attempts to capture perfect photos with wildlife may negatively impact the animals' behavior.

Professor Philip Seddon, Director of the Wildlife Management Program at the University of Otago, stated at the Global Conference, held in Dunedin last week, that taking selfies with wildlife is a “terrible” thing and harmful to animals, for example: causing physical and mental stress, disrupting their eating and breeding habits, and potentially even reducing their birth rates.

According to Professor Philip Seddon, a proper selfie is one that doesn't involve direct interaction between the animal and the human, and where the animal isn't held captive or used as a prop. However, in many parts of New Zealand, tourists are often caught dancing with endangered sea lions, chasing rare yellow-eyed penguins, or trying to hug shy Kiwi birds while taking photos. This behavior, along with the light from mobile phones, the noise, and the flash of the selfie camera, actually causes stress to the animals.

Philippa Agnew, Science and Environment Manager at the Oamaru blue penguin sanctuary (east of New Zealand's South Island), says selfies with wildlife can be helpful in raising awareness of conservation efforts. However, in reality, tourists visiting Oamaru frequently block the blue penguins from moving from the sea to the shore, chasing them or trying to pick them up. These actions can prevent the penguins from foraging or feeding their chicks.

Therefore, the conservation community is still trying to find ways to use selfies with wildlife for beneficial purposes, and has come up with the idea of ​​targeting Instagram influencers to spread the message about how to interact safely with wildlife.

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Kieu Mai