Forever WildHelp keep wild animals wild. The wild needs you.We love to love animals – and we know you do, too. But we need to make sure we’re appreciating them respectfully and appropriately, and not feeling the demand for the illegal wildlife trade.Hundreds of endangered species are victims of illegal wildlife trafficking – often to serve the illegal pet trade. And while social media has the power to do so much good, unfortunately, inappropriate animal content shared online can also fuel demand and support the illegal pet trade.Content that appears “fun” and “cute” – videos of chimpanzees dressed in human clothing or being treated as human children, for example – may be engaging or popular, but that can also give the impression that people can interact with chimpanzees. And that just isn’t true.Chimpanzees are not pets.Wild animals are wild.How can you help? You can spread the word about good and bad wildlife content on social media. When you see content that makes wild animals appear to be humans, don’t “like” it. Don’t share it. Don’t comment – because even that kind of engagement, intended to educate, can cause the algorithm to promote the content further. Don’t fuel that demand.XDon’t share or “like” posts that show great apes being kept as pets.XDon’t share or “like” posts that show great apes performing for entertainment or smiling for selfies.XDon’t share or “like” posts that show great apes wearing clothing.XDon’t share or “like” posts that show great apes interacting with people who are not trained experts.Together, we can help keep wild animals wild.
