Here's why taking selfies with animals could land you in jail

A newly drafted animal welfare bill awaiting government legislation seeks to outlaw taking selfies with wildlife and posting them on Instagram and other social media.

The document which was scheduled for enactment last month, but which has so far been postponed to a future date, explains that taking photos with wildlife can cause severe suffering and even death to the animals involved.

The bill is an amendment to the existing Kenyan laws in Cap 360 – Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act- which animal experts say is outdated compared to the dire situation of animals.

World Animal Protection (WOA) Head of Communications Africa, Lucy Wanjiku expressed the need to revisit the animal welfare act which she said was lenient to law breakers and had not been amended since its enactment in 1962.

Ms Wanjiku said the government had no reason to delay enacting the bill which had taken efforts of the directorate of Veterinary Services, various animal protection entities and the government itself to draft.

“We expect the government to fast-track the bill and avail the law to Kenyans with the urgency it deserves. At the moment, I feel the bill is not getting the right momentum,” Ms Wanjiku said.

WOA is also in talks with Instagram to prevent the site users from taking photos with animals and putting them on social media.

According to Ms Wanjiku, selfies taken with animals are an outward sign of the many freedoms of animals infringed upon.

She explains that whereas animals have freedom to be left alone in their natural habitat, individuals and groups are dragging them out and exposing them as instruments of entertainment and amusement.

Ms Wanjiku says that a change in the lifestyle of people has prompted the amendments to Kenyan laws to safeguard the welfare of animals.

“In the past, there were no smartphones and social media platforms to cause internet-fueled potential harm to the animals,” she said.

Ms Wanjiku explained that advancement in technology, increased demand in the entertainment and food sector had adverse ends to the animals.

“As a result, animals are pushed beyond their limit to produce, and in the process they suffer a lot,” she said, explaining that chicken are most mistreated as demand for their meat skyrockets.

“Broilers are given growth hormones and forced to fatten for market in just about forty days. They are denied sunlight to increase their metabolic rate. They suffer abnormal growth that is characterized by weak joints and underdeveloped bones,” Ms Wanjiku lamented.

According to Dr. Victor Yamo, Kenya Veterinary Association Council Chairman, Kenya risked to lose a lot in animal production if they failed to embrace animal welfare discourse.

“Productivity, quality and performance of animals depends on how they are treated. As a country, we have already started, and we risk importing animals from other countries if we don’t address animal welfare now,” Dr. Yamo said.

Ms Wanjiku said animal welfare discourses in Kenya had been marred by a lack of proper legislations and policies to safeguard the welfare of animals where there was also zero reinforcement to the scanty policies.

A failure to train courts to handle animal welfare cases, according to Ms Wanjiku, also made the situation dire.