Protect First, Post Later

Just snapped an award-winning photo of a wild cat? Awesome! We’re very jealous. Now, before you share with your followers, help us protect these felines from poachers by following a few social media best practices. 

Less Is More 

If you share a photo or video of a wild cat, a poacher can use it as a roadmap straight to the animal. By removing geotags, leaving out the finer details, or delaying your post for a few days, you make it harder for poachers to find wild cats. Plus, you look extra mysterious.

Here’s how you can help:

• Disable location features. Turn off geotagging and location services on apps and photos. Avoid sharing photos with location metadata. 
• Delay posting images or updates from trips. Waiting a few days can make a difference since it gives animals a chance to move away from the site where you spotted them.
• Avoid sharing specific or sensitive details, like exact locations, in your posts or captions. 
• Be mindful of comments that may disclose private or critical information. 
   

Privacy First

Keeping yourself safe on social media can also help keep wild cats safe. By limiting who has access to your posts, you lessen the chance of that information falling into the wrong hands.

Here’s how you can help: 

• Set social media profiles to private. Limit who can view or interact with your posts. 
• Check third-party access. Review and remove unused apps connected to your accounts regularly. 
• Be cautious with followers. Only accept requests from people you trust.
   

Why does ethical wild cat social media sharing matter?   

It takes a pride of wild cats to bring down dinner — and it takes all of us to protect them. Wild cats are targets of poaching, and their body parts are sold illegally, driven by demand for traditional medicine, trophies and other uses. When you #ProtectFirstPostLater, you help prevent poaching and ensure wild cats will be around for generations to come.