Khloe Kardashian and Paris Hilton condemned by UN body for 'selfish and ignorant' chimp selfies
The body argues that taking Instagram photos with dressed-up orangutans and chimpanzees greatly harms conservation work
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A UN body has condemned the practice of celebrities posing with orangutans and chimpanzees in Instagram photos as an “ignorant and selfish act”.
Khloe Kardashian, Paris Hilton, James Rodriguez and Kid Ink have all been pictured with dressed-up primates in the Gulf region over the past two years.
The UN’s Great Apes Survival Partnership argue the images damage conservation efforts to protect the species because the public feels less empathy for apes who are dressed in clothes.
Douglas Cress, the programme’s coordinator, told The Independent that the controversial photos have reversed years of conservation work.
“In an age where computer-generated images can conjure up dragons and aliens and entire worlds that pass for real, why should any celebrity or actor or pop idol or athlete think that using live apes for their own entertainment is acceptable? It's not,” Cress said.
“It's an ignorant, selfish act that shows little regard for the real situation these orangutans and chimpanzees find themselves in, and the damage done to conservation projects is considerable”.
“To think that the millions of fans of Paris Hilton or Khloe Kardashian or James Rodriguez now find this behaviour acceptable undoes years of hard work by legitimate conservation programmes. Every orangutan selfie is like taking five steps back in the past,” Cress added.
Photos of Hilton with a dressed-up baby orangutan at the Saif Belhasas private zoo in Dubai first circulated in 2014. While in May 2015, Kardashian posted a photo of her cuddling an orangutan.
Last December, Real Madrid footballer Rodriguez posted a photo of himself with an orangutan in Dubai to his Instagram account. American rapper Kid Ink also uploaded a photo of himself with an orangutan dressed in baby clothes.
Rebuking these selfies, Cress pointed to research which proves people feel less sympathy for apes treated as pets.
“Studies show that the general public feels less empathy or urgency for apes they see in human clothes or treated as pets or playthings," he said. "And that's a huge disservice to apes — all of whom are already classified as “endangered” or “critically endangered”.
New research by GRASP reveals the shocking rise in the trafficking of orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas and other primates stolen from the wild to cater for Chinese circuses.
Representatives for Hilton, Kardashian, Rodriguez and Kid Ink did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments