Wildlife Selfie Code

The Wildlife Selfie Code is a set of guidelines developed by the World Animal Protection organization to help tourists take cruelty-free selfies with wildlife. The code aims to prevent the exploitation of animals such as sloths, caimans, pink river dolphins, and anacondas, who are often snatched from their natural habitats and forced to live in noisy, chaotic environments for the sake of tourist selfies. The Wildlife Selfie Code encourages tourists to only take photos if they are a safe distance from an animal, the animal can move freely, and the animal is in its natural home.

In December 2017, after 250,000 animal-lovers signed up to the Wildlife Selfie Code, Instagram launched a new ‘wildlife warning’ page. When Instagram users search for hashtags like #koalaselfie, #elephantride and #slothselfie, a message pops up, informing them about the animal suffering behind the photos.