The Evil of Selfies and Ignorant Tourists

[Tronhard]

This appeared in the DPReview new site today. Tourists wanting selfies are climbing over many fragile environments and despoiling them.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/330575...stagram-photos

The search for the almighty selfie was seen again when I visited the gannet colony at Muriwai, close to Auckland and likely the most accessible colony of its type in the world. I found tourists climbing over the fences, past the signs and walking around and onto the nests to get their selfies, totally freaking out the birds. I found the tour leader and balled him out then did the same to the tourists themselves, but really how can you be there all the time to protects these spots when the answer is for these people to SHOW A BIT OF RESPECT!

I am hugely frustrated by the kind of behaviour that this typifies. People not showing respect for the places they visit, and ruining the environment just to get a shot of themselves.

NZ is overrun with a new breed of tourists: "Freedom Campers". These people come and buy cheap cars, stations wagons and vans, throw a mattress in the back and try to spend as little as possible on accommodation by camping on roadsides, in parks and reserves. Because most of them don't have toilets they defecate wherever they are, littering the area with toilet paper and faeces. They have overwhelmed local bodies efforts to provide facilities, even at the cheap rate of free toilets and a shower for $1. Their arrogance and selfishness is breathtaking, but worst of all it is ruining the environment that is shared by those who live here and responsible tourists and campers.

This article and video of a French Tourist relieving herself on a kerb in the middle of the city of Dunedin... absolutely unacceptable.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11820196

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/soiled-nappies-and-toilet-roll-picturesque-golden-bay-worried-summer-influx-freedom-campers?ref=emailfriend

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/100...stown-reserves

When rangers or other officials try to put a stop to the abuse, they are harassed and attacked..
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/...aka-fight-back


https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-...e-popular-spot

I am appalled by the behaviour of visitors who come to NZ, one of the most picturesque countries in the world and behave like this. Our rangers don't have powers of arrest like those in the USA - I wish they did but without the means to enforce the rules they are outnumbered and disempowered.

[Manfred M]

It's not just New Zealand.

I've witnessed this issue in Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Perhaps not the "Freedom Campers" you describe, but people who have little or no regard for the places and culture of that they are visiting. They seem to have little regard for other visitors either. It doesn't matter if they are solo travellers or as part of a tour; their behaviour is terrible.

As for the "Freedom Campers", the solution is quite simple. All the government needs to do is crack down on selling vehicles to foreigners through administrative means (no local driver's licence / permanent address = no car sale).

[Tronhard]

I fear that would be a blunt instrument. There are many car buyers and visitors who do not freedom camp, or if they do are actually quite responsible. First there need to be clear (pictogram) signs that clearly indicated where people cannot go or what they cannot do. What I think needs to happen is that the government makes it clear that bad behaviour will not be tolerated and give rangers the power and capability to enforce the laws and if necessary make arrests. Right now they are toothless and most rangers didn't work for DoC because they wanted to be enforcement officers. I don't want to see our DoC rangers become police and carry weapons like they do in the USA, but they need the backing of the law, which right now has not kept pace with the realities on the ground.

Probably most of all, people need to learn to show respect for other people and the countries who host them. What on earth is happening to us?

All the government needs to do is crack down on selling vehicles to foreigners through administrative means (no local driver's licence / permanent address = no car sale).

[NorthernFocus]

When I was visiting the Gannets a in 2016 I witnessed the same thing with people climbing over the fence for selfies. Of course we will all suffer for the poor behavior when they install higher chain link fences that ruin the photographic opportunities.

One need only read the Old Testament, either as an historical document or in its intended context, to realize that human nature hasn't changed in thousands of years. The only thing that is different is the technology available to us and population density. The combination of the two are manifested in the annoying selfie phenomenon.

The old adage about the need to study history lest we repeat it is in error. One needs to study history in order to understand that we are indeed doomed to repeat it.

[Tronhard]

Hi Dan:

To be honest I think the proliferation of selfies has had a big impact. I never saw this volume of behaviour before the trend started. People need to place themselves in or on the landscape for some reason and that encourages them to climb into, onto or over the places they apparently want to associate themselves with and damn the consequences.

[Tringa]

I too do not understand selfies. Do those taking them need to prove to friends they have been to the location? Are their memories so bad they need photos to show them in a particular place?

Unfortunately some folks appear to view the natural world and all in it are their playthings to do with what they will.

Last autumn in UK there were some people who approached stags in during the rut so they can have a selfie -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-41682441


There is also the problem of littering in some areas. Some folks buy cheap 'festival' tents, park by the side of the road (and sometimes in what are passing places on single track roads), set up the tent next to the car, eat the takeaway they brought with them, use somewhere nearby as a toilet and then leave everything when they go home.

Many years ago I attended a Mountain Leadership course in north Wales. One of the other participants worked for the Snowdonia National Park and caused a bit of controversy by saying that some children should not be allowed to visit the park because they did not (or had not been told) how to behave in the countryside - the park had some problems with some school visits. I am now more inclined to his view.

Dave

[Tronhard]

I know what you mean about people with cell phones wanting selfies with dangerous animals. When I was in Canada last year some idiots went really close to a full grown male grizzly bear as it was eating, first trying to get a shot of the bear close up and then one of them walked in front of it and turned to face the camera - that is an almost suicidal thing to do with any bear, but in particular a full-grown male grizzly. Best advice suggests that you should be AT LEAST 100m (preferably 150m) away because if they charge you cannot outrun them. It was only by a pure miracle that the grizzly was more intent on his food than the selfish selfie taker, or it would have ended up a tragedy.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...ntry-1.4180027

Some years ago I was travelling the Tans-Canada Highway and came up on a bunch of cars parked along the side of the road. Usually that denotes a wildlife shot, so I parked a bit away and went back with my long telephoto to see what was happening. A tourist in a camper van had seen a black female bear with three cubs browsing along the side of the road maybe 100m off. She had stopped and to get a bigger image on her cell phone had been throwing food to the bears, which naturally came closer. As more people turned up the lady threw more food progressively closer. Knowing the danger of this I interjected and said it was not good for the bears to eat human food and not good that they get too close to people. All the cell phone photographers ignored me, but some of the others got the point.




http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...ntry-1.4180027

Then a ranger turned up. She assessed the situation in a flash and told the tourist to stop feeding the bear. She then said that now she had brought the bear so close she would have to shoot it. She pulled out a shotgun and shot the mother bear - with special pellets that sting but don't hurt the bear. The mother and cubs beat a hasty retreat.

The ranger then turned to the crowd. She said she didn't like doing this but explained why, and she handed the woman a $250 fine for breaking the law, who then got another from an RCMP officer for causing an obstruction of the highway. The tourist in question protested that it was just a wild animal. Even while this was going on bystanders were taking selfies of themselves to record their presence.

I might add that in my three weeks in the Rockies that year 3 people were killed by black bears because they got between the mothers and the cubs.

[Artshot]

Stupid tourists have been around forever. I was up the Alaska highway in the 70's when some tourists lured a bear into the back seat of their car, and then jumped in for a photo shoot. Did not end well.

[Tronhard]

Hi Art:

I agree that there have always been idiots. There just seem to be an awful lot more of them these days, armed often with cell phones and so focused on their shot of themselves they put themselves in danger, wreck other people's experiences of locations and damage the environment climbing onto things to be in the shot.

I put this down to the proliferation of selfies and the need for many people to be recognized, followed and admired. It's very sad.

[Tringa]

Hi Art:

I put this down to the proliferation of selfies and the need for many people to be recognized, followed and admired. It's very sad.

I agree. It appears some measure their worth by how many people, many of whom they will never have met, 'like' them on social media.


Your story about the black bear is interesting. Over the last few years similar situations have occurred in the UK with feral boars which are fairly common in some parts of the SW of England. Some people wanting an easy photo have been feeding boar from their cars. The boars learn cars can mean easy food with the inevitable results.

Thought the protest by the woman who was fined was interesting. Yes, it is only a wild animal, so give it some space and leave it to be wild.

I don't understand some people.

Dave