A group of tourists are being blasted on social media for sharing incriminating photos of themselves posing with marine life plucked from the sea while visiting a to Semporna beach in Malaysia. The tourists, thought to be from China, can be seen with corals and starfish in their hands while holding a WorldVentures travel club placard that reads ‘You Should Be Here’.
The photos are thought to have been shared amongst the friends via WeChat before being spread to a wider community of peeved Malaysians.
Many have expressed outrage at the lack of respect shown towards the sea creatures by the tourists. “Such behaviour would stress the starfish and even the corals, which might cause them to die," said diver Mohd Azwan Ali. Indeed, the momentary photos may have a lasting impact on the local habitat as another diver, Muhammad Izzat Mainur, lamented that touching corals with bare hands introduces them to bacteria and can very well kill them.
When approached, one of the tourists claimed that their local guide caught the sea creatures and asked them to take photos. However, WorldVentures, who are believed to have organised the trip, denied any involvement in the matter and claim that it was likely organised among themselves.
The company also added that conservation and preservation of the environment is important and that its compliance department will be tracking down the members involved in the incident.
Halim Manap, a representative at WorldVentures, went on to comment in a Facebook post that the blue banner can be easily obtained by becoming a member of the club. He asserted that that lack of education surrounding marine conservation in China was the real problem.
This isn’t the first time tourists have been outed for causing harm to the wonders of nature. Sightseeing snappers in Costa Rica swarmed a beach to take selfies with endangered sea turtles, tourists kicked Nanjing cherry trees to take idyllic photos, and a bunch of Canadian filmmakers damaged two areas of natural beauty in a road trip across the United States.
. digitalrev.com2016-10-18 03:00