Opinion: Pets are not playthings to be exploited for social media glory

OPINION: Pets do not exist for our amusement, or to be exploited for social media notoriety. It’s a message that may need repeating in the wake of a recent crocodile attack in Queensland’s far north, writes Kylie Lang.

We know the pursuit of social media fame can suck people into a vortex of narcissism – but don’t take your pets down with you.

Animals are not playthings. They might do amusing things of their own volition, but they do not exist for your amusement, in whatever twisted form that might take.

As the call grows ever louder for a man to be charged with serious animal cruelty after he led his dog to a Far North Queensland river known to be home to crocodiles – and filmed the incident in which his dog was eaten – you have to wonder what is going on in people’s heads.

Alister MacPhee is recovering from a bite on his leg.

Meanwhile, his dog Molly and the saltwater croc are both dead.

Queensland government wildlife officers killed the 4.2m reptile, in what conservationists are also calling animal abuse.

Courier-Mail readers have raised good points. Here’s one: “Domestic animals are not ‘bait’. The actions of the individual were disgraceful. Why are crocs and sharks killed after attacks they make? What does it achieve? Humans are the invaders here.”

And another: “Why would someone set up a camera to record a narrow view of themselves walking into a crocodile-infested creek, if not to record themselves getting attacked?”

Others have suggested the video was taken with the intention of uploading it to TikTok, YouTube or other social media platforms that pander to the self-obsessed.

Alister MacPhee after being attacked by a crocodile near the Bloomfield boat ramp in North Queensland.

Mr MacPhee has declined to be interviewed so we can’t be sure what his motivations were, but when Bloomfield River, south of Cooktown where the February 22 incident occurred, is clearly signposted as crocodile territory, what gives?

It’s not as if he was unaware. In a Facebook post in the weeks prior, Mr MacPhee told a friend: “I want to catch a big water python but the croc’s (sic) ya see.”

Bob Irwin, the father of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve, contacted me this week, furious over the matter.

“What doesn’t make sense is that you can set up your video camera beside a prominent government warning sign advising that saltwater crocodiles are present, strip down to your Speedos, and lead your pet dog in the water, without a single consequence at all – the crocodile and the dog both paying the price,” said Mr Irwin, 85.

“This individual, whose plain stupidity has now caused the death of two animals unnecessarily, needs to be penalised for what has occurred.”

A Change.org petition started by Cairns business owner Tommy Hayes – to have the government charge Mr MacPhee with serious animal cruelty – continues to garner more signatures. At last count (before publication) it was approaching 1500.

The government is staying quiet on the matter but it is not the first time social media users have come under fire for being seen to harm animals.

Three years ago another Change.org petition demanded TikTok ban unrelated videos in which dogs were depicted as lures for crocodiles “as onlookers gasp and cheer”.

“The dogs try to run away, sliding down to the crocodiles and still trying desperately to save themselves,” the petition states.

“In one clip, a dog watches and barks, shaking, as he sees his friend get violently torn apart.

A still from the video in which Alister MacPhee and his dog are attacked by a crocodile

“Another video shows a black labrador also being used to tease the crocodile and unfortunately he could not escape, while he fought for his life his owner was laughing and recording it.”

TikTok says it doesn’t permit content that depicts animal cruelty. Facebook also has policies against offensive content.

But animal cruelty comes in many forms.

Videos of cats drinking wine or dogs dressed in silly costumes and forced to walk on their hind legs – this constitutes abuse.

So does taunting magpies during breeding season, as Brisbane teens were caught doing last year as part of a TikTok trend to film the birds swooping.

RSPCA Queensland says while some people are intent on hurting animals, others might not realise how their actions cause stress.

“The trend to film your cat drinking wine – just why?” says spokesperson Emma Lagoon. “Why would you do this, but unfortunately people are just trying to get a reaction online.

“Other people don’t realise they’re doing the wrong thing, or miss certain cues that their animal is uncomfortable or anxious,” she says.

The bottom line is that if something isn’t natural for an animal to be doing, leave the poor thing well alone.

Kylie Lang is associate editor of The Courier-Mail

LOVE

* Former tennis star Jelena Dokic calling out internet trolls who body shame her and, worse, tell her to kill herself after she revealed she had battled suicidal thoughts. Dokic told the ABC on Monday that online abuse should not be normalised or accepted, and demanded stronger regulation from government agencies and social media companies. Yes!

LOATHE

* Our trainwreck of a public health system, yet the minister gets to keep her job, with the full support of the Premier. This week’s damning auditor-general’s report shows more than 100,000 of the 300,000 Queenslanders queuing to see a specialist have been waiting a clinically unacceptable time. As for regional maternity services, they’re a complete disaster. D’Ath has to go.