Instagram Under Fire for Hosting Photos for Live Animal Sellers

You may think the worst offenses on Instagram are aesthetic, but animal-rights activists are complaining that the service helps users sell live animals that end up slaughtered for food or religious sacrifices.

A quick run through the approximately 1.4 million photos with the “#forsale” hashtag reveals thousands of animals, mostly dogs and cats looking for new homes. But other users, particularly in the Middle East, use the service promote sales of sheep, goats and other animals not destined for pet status. One Instagrammer in Kuwait promises: “We have them all, sacrificial and carcasses of all ages. We will bring them to you for all events and birthdays.”

Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid, tells the Daily Mail that it’s time for Instagram to police such postings. ‘This is a shocking situation to see animals being bred for money and traded like commodities,” he said. “The easier you make it to buy and sell animals online, the more casual and callous an approach people will take.”

Instagram’s terms of use and community guidelines make no mention of using the service to sell items, let alone animal rights.

(via Daily Mail)