When Justin Bieber posted a photo on Instagram of himself petting a tiger at a zoo in Canada, the response was more than 2 million likes. Similarly, Kim Kardashian created an online sensation when she tried to take a selfie of herself and a baby elephant on a trip to Thailand.
Wildlife selfies, as these kinds of photos are called, are soaring in popularity—and not just among celebrities. According to the animal rights group World Animal Protection, the number of such posts on Instagram has jumped more than 290 percent since 2014. The trend has helped make wildlife tourism a massive industry, generating hundreds of billions of dollars each year and bringing much-needed income to local communities.
Justin Bieber posted a photo on Instagram of himself petting a tiger at a zoo in Canada. His post got more than 2 million likes. Similarly, Kim Kardashian created an online sensation when she tried to take a selfie of herself and a baby elephant on a trip to Thailand.
These kinds of photos are called wildlife selfies. They’re soaring in popularity—and not just among celebrities. According to the animal rights group World Animal Protection, the number of such posts on Instagram has jumped more than 290 percent since 2014. The trend has helped make wildlife tourism a massive industry. This type of tourism generates hundreds of billions of dollars each year. It also brings much-needed income to local communities.