As of: March 1, 2024, 4:37 p.m
By: Laura Knops
Comments
Press
Split
What seems funny to many people is often torture for the animal protagonists. Where animal lovers can turn to report animal cruelty online.
Dogs, cats, hedgehogs and even foxes pose in front of the camera or even wear funny costumes - photos and videos of animals are magnets for followers, especially on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
At first glance it's cute to look at.
However, much of the content can be classified as animal cruelty.
Funny videos and disguised animals: when is it cruelty?
A snapshot like this brings a nice memory.
But anyone who doesn't treat their pets humanely just to get a funny photo or video causes animal suffering.
© Westend61/Imago
The World Animal Protection Society
has examined
how great the suffering of animals is on social media .
For weeks, the animal rights activists searched the Internet again and again at the same time and using certain keywords.
The result is shocking: of the 873 posts viewed, 235 posts were classified as questionable.
Around one in four posts on platforms such as
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
and
YouTube
depicted animal suffering. According to the
Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition,
posts have increased enormously in recent years.
You can find even more exciting animal topics in the free newsletter from our partner Landtiere.de, which you can subscribe to right here.
This also seems to be due to the fact that more and more influencers, also known as petfluencers, are making money with animal content.
With every click and share, the owners generate more reach and financial resources.
For example, very few users are aware that a hedgehog that is being bathed or held next to a cat feels fear of death.
When it comes to costumes and disguises, this is what matters: A quick snapshot in a Santa hat may be okay depending on the mood of the dog or cat, but being stuck in clothing that is not species-appropriate definitely causes stress.
The animal protection organization therefore warns against putting your pets in situations that are not species-appropriate.
Recognizing animal cruelty: Animal rights activists differentiate between three forms
In order to put an end to animal suffering on social networks, the
World Animal Protection Society
has created a guide for identifying animal suffering content.
Because animal suffering is not always immediately recognizable as such.
Experts differentiate between three forms of animal suffering:
My news
Puppy tries sparkling water for the first time - reaction amuses Instagram users deliciously read
Largest snake in the world discovered: It weighs half a ton
Hundreds of thousands of crabs flock to a certain place on the Elbe - read about the phenomenon behind it
Deaf puppy wants to play and can't make friends - then sight reading takes a turn
When rabbits hold their heads to one side read
Barking for a while: How long you have to put up with your neighbor's dog constantly barking - and possible solutions
Clear animal suffering, which is expressed through brutal violence against animals.
Suspicion of animal suffering in which animals are not kept in a species-appropriate manner.
Non-respectful treatment of animals, where the animals are staged in unnatural situations.
Suspected animal suffering: Under no circumstances should you distribute content on social media
The
Animal Welfare Association
advises that under no circumstances should you distribute photos and videos that show evidence of animal cruelty.
Likes, dislikes, shares or comments increase attention and often even play into the creators' hands, as they hope for a greater reach.
According to
the experts at the
Animal Welfare Association , users should not interact with the videos, but rather report them to the website operators so that they can be removed.
There is usually a direct reporting function for this on social networks.