Rihanna Instagram Post Leads to Arrests in Thailand
Rihanna inadvertently lead Thai authorities to two men who were later arrested on suspicion of possessing a protected primate after the singer posted a picture of herself holding the animal.
The picture, which was posted to Instagram and Twitter, showed the loris on the singers shoulder while she was at the tourist resort of Phuket on Friday.
The image spurred outcry from animal rights activists worried about animal exploitation which in turn prompted local authorities to act.
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Local district chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol said two men were arrested on Saturday on suspicion of possessing a loris.
"I have asked police to check the area in Patong beach after Rihanna posted her picture on Friday night with a slow loris," he told AFP.
"The public often takes a cue from people they look up to, and when celebrities act in this manner, there is a real danger that the mass thinks its ok for everyone else to be doing this. It's not ok," Kanitha Krishnasamy Senior Program Officer with wildlife trade protection group Traffic, said in a statement.
Rihanna was in Thailand as she travelled through the region as part of her "Diamonds" world tour and also was able to take pictures with elephants and other animals of the regions.
Krishnasamy revealed that lorises are found throughout Asia in countries ranging from India to China to Indonesia and the Philippines.
They are banned from commercial international trade and protected in Thailand.
The animals are threatened by habitat destruction and a rapacious illegal pet trade "stimulated in part by their regular appearance in online videos", Krishnasamy added, stating that mothers are often killed while their offspring are taken. The bite of the loris is toxic so their teeth are removed before they are sold to buyers.
