Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 21 december 2017
Controversy over wildlife tourism and selfies in the Amazon

By PETER PRENGAMAN expensive for travelers and
BETH J. HARPAZ takes more time and plan-
Associated Press ning. Still, she said, educat-
Planning to visit the Ama- ing consumers about these
zon? You might want to issues may impact their
look at the controversy choices, especially among
over wildlife selfies before animal lovers who may not
choosing tours. realize the harm in petting
World Animal Protection, and photographing crea-
an advocacy group, issued tures. “As soon as an activ-
a report saying animals like ity crosses the line from ob-
sloths suffer when they’re servation to interaction, it’s
kept in captivity for tourists probably going to be bad
to hold and photograph. for the animal,” she said.
Instagram is educating D’Cruze disputed claims
users about the issue by by some guides that keep-
responding to hashtag ing wildlife as pets is not
searches like #slothselfie much different from hav-
with this warning : “You are ing a cat or dog. “Many
searching for a hashtag tourists will not realize, for
that may be associated example, that the caiman
with posts that encourage crocodile mouth is being
harmful behavior to ani- held shut with tape, or that
mals or the environment.” the anaconda is severely
“We want tourists visiting dehydrated,” he said. And
the Amazon to know that sloths aren’t really smil-
if they care about wildlife, Tourists touch the shell of a large turtle seen during a forest walk in the Amazon rain forest outside ing and hugging you, the
they should not use animals of Manaus, Brazil. Many guides are keen on helping tourists get photos of animals in the Amazon. way it appears in so many
as photo props on their (AP Photo/Peter Prengaman) selfies, he said: That’s just
vacation,” World Animal D’Cruze says the solution tional Geographic reporter out for tourists in three days. the animals’ mouth shape
Protection’s global wildlife lies in educating travelers. Natasha Daly traveled to Tourists embarking on Ama- and tree-climbing behav-
adviser Neil D’Cruze said He saluted Instagram’s ani- the Amazon to confirm the zon trips from nearby Leti- ior. Many national parks in
in an email interview. “The mal selfie warning as well World Animal Protection’s cia, Colombia, often spend the Brazilian Amazon have
reality is that these ‘wildlife as efforts by TripAdvisor , findings . She found that time in Puerto Alegria. One guidelines for how tourists
selfies of a lifetime’ actually which since 2016 has de- officials in Manaus, Brazil, challenge in steering tour- and guides may interact
involve significant animal clined bookings for attrac- have been actively clamp- ists away from these selfie with animals. For example,
suffering.” He said animals tions where tourists come ing down on the use of wild- encounters, Daly said, is the Anavilhanas National
presented to tourists have into physical contact with life as tourist props. “By the that Amazon wildlife is elu- Park has detailed rules lim-
typically been pulled from captive or wild animals. time I was there in mid-Au- sive, and day trips where iting interactions with the
natural habitats, are kept D’Cruze also said there’s gust, a lot of tour operators sloths, kinkajous and snakes region’s famous freshwa-
in “unsuitable conditions” “enormous potential” for had stopped going to lo- are offered up for photos ter dolphins. Te Batista,
and are handled by doz- developing tourism in the cations where the animals make it easy for visitors to who has been a guide on
ens of visitors a day, with Amazon around alterna- are brought out,” she said. see them. An alternative the Rio Negro for 20 years,
tourists “typically unaware tives like stays at jungle But the practice persists in experience might involve makes a distinction be-
of the stress and injury” the lodges or experiences with Puerto Alegria, Peru, where staying in a jungle lodge for tween observing animals in
creatures experience. indigenous culture. Na- she saw 20 species brought a few days, but that’s more the wild and in captivity.q
8 Americans, 2 Swedes, 1 Canadian dead in Mexican bus crash

By GABRIEL ALCOCER driver lost control of the A state government state- American deaths and sev- Texas, was on one of the
Associated Press bus’ steering to the right, ment early Wednesday eral injuries. A statement two cruise ships that had
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) leaving the asphalt,” state said the bus driver was in- said the embassy had staff passengers on the crashed
— Driver negligence and prosecutor Miguel Angel jured and taken into custo- on the ground assisting vic- bus, and he was en route
speed caused a bus crash Pech Cen said at a news dy. But Pech Cen later said tims and loved ones. to the ruins as well. He said
in southern Mexico that conference. He said evi- the driver was not in cus- “We express our heartfelt his bus passed by the acci-
killed eight Americans, two dence found at the scene tody. He said the driver was condolences to all those dent just minutes after it oc-
Swedes, one Canadian indicated the driver was transported from the scene affected by this tragedy,” curred, and he observed
and a Mexican tour guide going too fast. for medical treatment. They State Department spokes- skid marks on the dry pave-
as they traveled from cruise The state government said knew the driver’s identity woman Heather Nauert ment.
ships to visit nearby Mayan that in addition to the 12 and would get a statement said in Washington. Brawley said the ship he
ruins, officials said Wednes- people killed, three Ca- from him, but were not sure Haim Shababo of Fort Lau- was sailing on, the Sere-
day. nadians, four Brazilians, if he was in a hospital or still derdale said Wednesday nade of the Seas, sailed out
Quintana Roo state pros- four Americans and two at home, the prosecutor that his mother-in-law, Fan- of Mahahual on Tuesday
ecutors said a preliminary Swedes had to be hospital- said. He did not elaborate ya Shamis, was among the around 5:30 p.m., a couple
investigation indicated the ized for treatment of inju- on the conflicting govern- bus passengers killed in the hours after its scheduled
driver lost control of the bus ries. The two Swedes were ment statements. crash. departure. It was docked
and when he tried to get transported to the United The Swedish and Canadian “We are waiting for the Wednesday up the coast in
back on the narrow high- States for treatment. Seven governments confirmed bodies to come home,” he Cozumel.
way, the bus flipped, struck other people were slightly the deaths of their citizens, said. He said the family had “Captain informed us this
a tree and landed in veg- injured in Tuesday’s acci- but the U.S. Embassy in no additional information morning one of our pas-
etation along the roadside. dent and returned to their Mexico City confirmed only to provide at this time. sengers passed overnight,”
“Due to a lack of care the cruise ship. that there were “multiple” Chris Brawley, of Haslet, Brawley said.q