Wildlife Trafficking and Selfie Tourism Quantified Through Twitter Data
Conference Year
January 2022
Abstract
The Slow Loris is a primate native to Asia and the Pacific Islands known for its venomous bite and coveted for its cuteness. Selfie Tourism promotes the use of wildlife as props for tourists to take photographs with. This lacks consideration for biodiversity, human health, and nonhuman animal health. This project investigates the sale and exhibition of the endangered Slow Loris on Twitter. By robustly quantifying the temporal and spatial distribution of selfies with endangered species we can gain insights into the driving forces behind demand for sectors of wildlife trade and better inform policy to deter tourists and traffickers.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Jeremiah Onaolapo
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Prianka Bhattacharjee
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Second Student College
Graduate College
Program/Major
Complex Systems
Second Program/Major
Data Science
Primary Research Category
Social Sciences
Secondary Research Category
Food & Environment Studies
Tertiary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Wildlife Trafficking and Selfie Tourism Quantified Through Twitter Data
The Slow Loris is a primate native to Asia and the Pacific Islands known for its venomous bite and coveted for its cuteness. Selfie Tourism promotes the use of wildlife as props for tourists to take photographs with. This lacks consideration for biodiversity, human health, and nonhuman animal health. This project investigates the sale and exhibition of the endangered Slow Loris on Twitter. By robustly quantifying the temporal and spatial distribution of selfies with endangered species we can gain insights into the driving forces behind demand for sectors of wildlife trade and better inform policy to deter tourists and traffickers.