Primate Protectors
Identify. Report. End.
Reporting Guidelines
Sometimes images that are cute at first glance, can actually be quite harmful 'behind the scenes'.
So it's essential to know what to look when identifying inappropriate animal imagery to ensure the correct posts are reported to end this harmful content.
Practice the
"Protector Check"
Identifying Problematic Content
The following categories describe several inappropriate behaviours frequency posted and shared on various social media platforms. Understanding these categories will help you to spot activities, images, and language that are designed to draw in views but actually indicate animals may be suffering 'behind the scenes'.
1. Treating nonhuman primates like humans:
Wearing Clothes
Clothing constrains non-human primates in unnatural, demeaning, and harmful ways. Fabric can be restrictive, restraining, and irritating to their skin. Dressing them up perpetuates the idea that nonhuman primates are equivalent to doll-like toys.
Non-human primates aren't toys, and they aren't pets.
2. Unusual behaviours:
Repetitive Behaviours
Look out for repetitive or stereotypical behaviours that are not seen or expressed in the wild. Examples include pacing, shaking the head, rocking, and excessive self-grooming and pulling out hair. These behaviours are negative responses to stress and signs that the individual is living in poor conditions.
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3. Inappropriate contact with nonhuman primates:
Touching/Holding/Tickling
Close contact with wild animals is unnatural. Direct contact involves voluntarily interacting with wild animals. Examples include tourist activities, car safaris, wild animal attractions where people pay to touch otherwise wild animals. In these cases, animals are treated as if they are domesticated and human-like, but behind the scenes nonhuman primates are often coerced and controlled.
4. Causing psychological distress:
Teasing/Taunting/Fooling
Teasing can both be intentional and accidental. Intentional includes whistling, jeering, calling them, showing them food items, and trying to touch them. Unintentional teasing can be more difficult to spot. These often include human behaving in a manner that is perceived as threatening towards nonhuman primates for example: showing teeth, staring at them with direct eye contact, or walking too close or not giving them enough space.
5. Causing physical harm/injury:
Physical Harm/Injury
If you encounter social media content depicting an animal being physically harmed or injured, it is crucial to take immediate action. Refrain from sharing or engaging with the distressing content to prevent its further dissemination. Instead, report the post to the respective social media platform using their reporting mechanisms (outlined below).
Any interaction (positive or negative) will boost visibility. Be sure you are not inadvertently increasing the reach of inappropriate animal images online.
Do not engage, report it immediately following the guidelines below.
Reporting Problematic Content
Reporting inappropriate animal images when you see them alerts social media moderators to the volumes of content depicting animal cruelty or supporting the illegal wildlife trade present on their platforms, reinforcing that these images are unacceptable. Here's how you report on various popular platforms:
Reporting on Facebook:
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Tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner of the post.
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Select 'Report post'.
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Select 'Violence'.
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Select 'Animal abuse'.
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Tap 'Submit'.
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Tap 'Next'.
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You may decide to 'block' or 'hide all from' the account.
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After reporting, click 'Done'.
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Protector Check Practice Quiz
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