The Hidden Cost of the Perfect Selfie

Overheard at National Geographic

National Geographic

Science, Society & Culture

4.5 • 10.1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 October 2019

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What do tigers, sloths, elephants and bears have in common? They're all part of the incredibly lucrative captive wildlife tourism industry. Travelers from around the world clamor for opportunities to pose with these magnificent creatures and get that perfect selfie. This week - we look at the complicated nature of elephant tourism in Thailand. For more information on this episode, visit nationalgeographic.com/overheard Want More? Read Natasha's cover story on wildlife tourism to learn more about the global industry. Learn more about Ban Ta Klang the "elephant village" at the center of Thailand's captive elephant trade. Want to know how to approach wildlife tourism in a way that's better for animals? We've got some tips on how to make sure you're having an ethical encounter. Why do people risk their lives for animal selfies? Natasha talked with psychologists to find out. Learn more about Puerto Alegria - a Peruvian town on the banks of the Amazon that was once a hotbed of wildlife tourism. Also Explore Get some tips from National Geographic photographers on how to photograph wild animals ethically. Learn more about Think Elephants International, the organization that Joshua Plotnik co-founded. The advocacy group World Animal Protection studied the impact of wildlife selfies in the Amazon. Read more about what they found. If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Natasha Daly is a writer here at National Geographic.
0:04.5	And last year she spent a month in Thailand reporting a cover story for the magazine on wildlife
0:09.4	tourism.
0:10.4	So I was at a captive tiger facility.
0:14.2	And I remember there was this young American boy, I think he was about eight years old,
0:18.3	sobbing because he didn't want to go into the tiger cage.
0:21.4	And his mom kept saying to him, over and over, you know, go in, go in, don't be so afraid,
0:26.8	it's going to be fine.
0:28.2	It's going to be fine.
0:29.7	I mean, sure, it's a tiger, but it's in a cage.
0:33.9	The boy didn't want to do it, but he eventually did because his mom sort of made him.
0:38.0	And he stood through the whole time terrified, sobbing.
0:40.2	And what really struck me is that instead of saying, okay, you don't have to do it, that's
0:45.0	fine.
0:46.0	His mom forced him to do it and then said it'll be worth it for the photos.
0:49.8	And he came out and he wouldn't even look her in the eye.
0:52.9	He just stormed off.
0:53.9	He was really upset.
0:55.4	Natasha says, when she saw this, something clicked.
0:59.4	I remember looking at him thinking like, he kind of has a normal natural reaction to this.
1:06.0	I feel like I'd be really afraid too.
1:07.8	So it's strange that that was the only time I saw someone reacting in what seems like
	...

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