These ‘cute’ videos on social media hide a terrible reality

A dog managing to walk on two legs, monkeys riding motorcycles, animals ‘bursting out laughing’ while being tickled…: these kinds of videos have been cropping up every year on social media, whether Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. While they might tug at our heartstrings and make us smile, they actually hide a much darker truth.

Animal cruelty. That is what lies behind these seemingly heartwarming images. These videos might go viral, but all too often they involve scenes that are dangerous and stressful for the animals, especially when wild animals are involved. Some content claims to be about “rescues”, yet they're entirely staged to attract sympathy and generate views (and profit), according to Futura-sciences. By promoting such videos, social media platforms are normalising the exploitation of animals. It's made worse by the fact that some platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, don’t restrict content promoting the keeping of wild animals, as if they were simply pets.

A real impact

Among others, the association Tonga Terre d'Accueil highlights the disastrous consequences of such videos. They have found that the seizures of caracals and servals are on the rise. These animals are being illegally kept by private individuals who themselves have been influenced by what they see online. This trend, as Futura-sciences notes, fuels a lucrative trade and puts the survival of these species at risk, since they cannot survive outside their natural habitat.

Before watching this kind of content, let’s try to adopt a critical approach and ask ourselves whether these cute animals really thrive in a natural environment. Only by reducing demand can we gradually make these videos disappear from our screens.

(MH with Raphaël Liset – Source: Futura-sciences – Illustration: ©Unsplash)