Held captive as pets, dressed in human clothes, forced to perform tricks, and in some cases, even brutally tortured and killed. These are just some of the despicable ways that primates and other wildlife are being exploited online for likes, shares, and cash. 

The rise of social media has unfortunately made it easier for people to share photos and videos of animal cruelty. And according to research, primates make up an overwhelming majority of the abuse cases we find online. 

What’s perhaps even more disturbing is the growing online community who not only seek out this kind of content, but are willing to pay to see horrific acts of abuse committed.

What’s worse - the social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, allow revenue to flow into the pockets of the content creators thanks to the popularity of these videos.

'I've watched some of these videos and I can't always watch them all the way through because they're so awful...what's worse are the comments from the community watching and enjoying them.'

The range of types of online animal abuse is vast, varying from obvious and outright acts of violence to the more subtle and insidious fake rescues and wildlife as pets. Cruelty disguised as cuteness fuelling and perpetuating the illegal wildlife trade. 

Nicola O’Brien has been on a 20-year mission to ensure that vulnerable and defenseless animals are treated with respect and dignity. She has taken on the goliath-sized task of confronting the social media giants that allow this content to be uploaded to their platforms. 

‘We are working with the platforms and trying to pressure them to enforce their own policies and remove these clear examples of abuse.’

Leading up the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), Nicola and her team are pushing for social media platforms to enforce their own policies and stop providing a platform for this disgusting content. 

Listen now to find out how you can help from home, with just a few clicks. 

Visit www.smaccoalition.com to learn more. 

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Talking Apes is an initiative of the nonprofit GLOBIO.

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