{"id":9084,"date":"2021-01-20T17:42:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T01:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orangutan.com\/?p=9084"},"modified":"2021-01-20T17:42:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T01:42:14","slug":"nonhuman-imagery-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangutan.com\/nonhuman-imagery-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"How Photos of Nonhuman Primates can Affect Conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The IUCN Primate Specialist Group Section for Human-Primate Interactions recently published the “Best Practice Guidelines for Responsible Images of Non-Human Primates<\/a>.” This guide describes how responsible and irresponsible imagery of nonhuman primates in both wild and captive settings can influence public perception of these often endangered animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors point out 3 important issues with images of humans close to primates: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Images of people with primates distort public understandings of primates<\/p>

2. Images of people very close to primates may be subject to different interpretations across cultures<\/p>

3. Images of messengers (veterinarians, zookeepers, celebrities, etc.) with primates may make the general public want to obtain their own images very close to primates<\/p>IUCN Section for Human-Primate Interaction<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How can photos affect the future of primates?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A simple photo of a person standing in close proximity to a primate can convey to viewers that this experience does not hold risk for both the human and primate involved. In reality, touching primates can pose a physical danger to the person involved and it can expose both the human and primate to the risk of disease transmission. Additionally, this photo could convey that primates might make good pets for humans. This all has the potential to fuel practices such as illegal poaching and capture of nonhuman primates from the wild for the pet trade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public often doesn’t see the grim conditions that primates used for tourist photo-ops have to experience. Typically, adults are killed in order to secure young babies. Sometimes teeth are removed to prevent biting and they are kept in unkept settings with inadequate diets and hygiene. None of these practices promote the conservation of species, in fact they do the opposite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even those working in ethical settings have a responsibility to not release problematic images. Individuals such as zookeepers, wildlife vets, celebrities, and even zoo volunteers might have more access to captive primates than the general public but they might translate ideals in opposition to conservation by sharing a photo of them holding a primate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Practice Guidelines for Responsible Images of Primates (IUCN) <\/h4>\n\n\n\n