Death by Selfie - Please Stop

coutesy google images

The obsession with selfies has become dangerous to living things.

In China, a peacock died of fright as he was passed around to tourists for selfies. An Argentina crowd did the same with a rare dolphin with the same result. A man dragged a shark out of the water on a Florida beach to take a selfie, also killing the shark. I have seen people, who should know better, attempt to grab a raccoon for a photo, or others in our deserts unable to resist a selfie with a tortoise.

In these instances there is certainly a risk to the photographers, but I must speak up for the risk to the animals. Whether they die on the spot, (how do you explain that to your children) or dehydrate and die slowly as is typical with tortoises, (you miss seeing that) it is an abominable thing to do and most certainly can be a crime. In one car commercial taking a selfie with your dog is used as proof of love and a reason to buy that car.

The craze has evolved from just posting photos of social encounters and meals, to staging weird and dangerous poses. This is not a new problem. Think back to shows about funniest videos or David Letterman's stupid pet tricks. They started out harmless and natural to choreographed daredevil stunts and a dog "trick" that was achieved by breaking the dog's back so he would walk funny.

Whether you are addicted to or apathetic towards selfies, you must agree that killing an animal by shooting a photo is the same as doing so with a gun. Let's think about our animals and not just about our "selfs".

WHAT COULD YOU BUY AT KMART THAT IS WORTH THE LIFE OF A SHARK?

Courtesy Google Images

On March 6th a five foot long white-tipped shark flown from New York to Los Angeles to be used in the filming of a Kmart commercial exhibited signs of stress on the set and ultimately died. The shark was treated on set by the trainer and then taken to a specialist to no avail.

According to a source cited by the Los Angeles Times, Kmart's request for a replacement shark to be brought out for the shoot was refused by the production company, Boxer Films, who instead substituted an animatronic hippopotamus.

The group American Humane Association (AHA) who certifies that "no animal was harmed in the making of a film" ,who receives funding from the film industry to monitor animal actors, and who is currently under fire for the fact that three horses died on set of the HBO show "Lucky" is investigating the matter.

Notwithstanding the vigor of an actual shoot, the travel back and forth to and from the location, the living in strange quarters, the strange climate, new water, and a host of unfamiliar human handlers, are all recipes for disaster.

Although the technology exists to use simulated animals in the entertainment industry the will to do so does not.

What could you buy in Kmart that is worth the life of a majestic shark? 

Would it be worth it?