In our millions we coo over wide-eyed exotic creatures and dogs in teacups – and bear witness to a novel era of online animal crueltyIt’s the sort of viral video that makes you coo. A sweet little creature called a gradual loris performs a comic trick. Over and over,a human tickles it. Each time, it instantly raises its arms. How adorable. You watch the video, and feel gooey inside,and share it with your friends. But what if you knew that the animal in the video was actually terrified? That it’s raising its arms in self-defence because it hates being tickled, and gradual lorises enjoy poisonous glands under their armpits – but it won’t be able to defend itself, and because its teeth enjoy been clipped out. Related: Chimps are cute. They're comic. And viral videos can harm them Related: Animal cruelty could result in five-year jail sentence under novel law Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com