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MEDIA RELEASE
London, 1 October 2024
Spot the Scam: How social media profits from animal cruelty in fake rescue videos
A shocking new report, “Spot the Scam: Unmasking Fake Animal Rescues”, reveals the disturbing rise of fake animal rescue content on social media, where creators deliberately endanger animals to stage dramatic rescues for views, likes, and donations. The report, launched today, calls on social media companies to prioritise animal welfare and take action against this cruel trend. (video)
Creators exploit vulnerable animals by placing them in life-threatening situations, only to "rescue" them on camera. These staged rescues generate millions of views, which translate into financial gain through ad revenue, shares, and even direct donations. (Infographic) Shockingly, these content creators ask viewers for donations under the guise of helping animals, while social media platforms reap the rewards of viral content.
The Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), composed of 29 animal protection organisations, conducted a six-week investigation that uncovered:
Cruelty for Clicks: The Dark Side of Fake Animal Rescues
Fake Rescue content shows animals in situations of immense danger; abandoned on the streets, buried alive or trapped in objects, being attacked by predators, and in need of medical attention, so that the content creator can appear to rescue the animal from that situation. (Infographic)
Over a third of the content showed animals apparently “abandoned”, often by the side of the road, in rubbish dumps and bins. Multiple videos show mother cats laying on the ground, wide-eyed and unable to move their bodies, as their kittens cry out and try to feed. (Infographic)
Veterinarians who have reviewed these videos suspect those animals were drugged for effect. These videos may portray successful rescues, but very little is known about what happens to the animals after these video clips; what conditions they are kept in, and how they are treated by the content creator.
Twenty-one percent of videos showed animals trapped or stuck in places. Often the animal is left struggling for a while, before the “rescuer” attempts to help them. One video showed a puppy with their head stuck inside a bottle for over a minute, which appeared to have been cut to fit the puppy’s head. The bottle is removed and the dog is taken to a vet practice. (Infographic)
The reviewing veterinarian stated “The video raises concerns. The [veterinarian’s] syringe appears too large for a puppy, and it's unclear where the injection went. Additionally, filming the puppy struggling in a water bottle for one minute, maybe more before the edit, suggests that the creator focuses on creating dramatic content rather than genuine rescue.”
Some creators pit animals against each other, often showing “prey and predator” interactions such as birds of prey, or huge snakes wrapping themselves around cats, dogs, goats and even monkeys, trying to kill and eat them. (Infographic)
Endangered species exploited
Kittens, puppies and young monkeys are predominantly used, presumably due to the availability of these animals and the ease of handling them. Cats were the most featured animal, in 42% of videos, followed by primates, dogs, snakes and turtle species. (Infographic)
SMACC also found that endangered species were being used by content creators. Five primate species of particular conservation concern were identified multiple times, including Long-tailed macaques and Stumped-tail macaques.
Platform policies falling short: Key signs of fake animal rescues
After widespread media coverage of fake rescue content in recent years, some social media companies have implemented policies against such content appearing on their platforms. However, SMACC’s report shows these methods appear to be ineffective in capturing the ever-growing variety of fake rescue content that exists on social media.
SMACC states that fake rescue content is becoming more sophisticated, with creators increasingly imitating legitimate animal rescue accounts. Social media platforms must collaborate with experts and veterinarians to ensure their policies are effective and enforceable by moderation teams.
“Fake rescue content, where animals are intentionally placed in danger for online engagement, is a particularly malicious form of abuse and deception.”, Animals Asia’s Founder and CEO Jill Robinson says. Unfortunately, many compassionate individuals unknowingly contribute to this problem by sharing and interacting with these videos.
We strongly urge social media platforms to take decisive action against all forms of animal cruelty by implementing effective monitoring systems that swiftly detect and remove such harmful material. Public awareness is also vital in identifying and combating this type of content.”
In March 2021, YouTube updated its policy to prohibit “content that shows animal rescue that is staged and puts the animal in harmful scenarios”. Meta released a new policy in early 2023 prohibiting fake or staged rescue content on its platforms.
TikTok does not have a policy specifically against fake rescue content but does prohibit content “abusing animals” and “staged animal fighting”. After consultation with SMACC, the platform also released a new “Animal Welfare Safety Centre” in early 2024 which educates users on animal welfare, and which also mentions the “Absence of proper medical care when there's evidence of injury” as an indicator of animal abuse.
Key indicators for spotting fake animal rescue content
To aid social media platforms and the public, SMACC identified key indicators that can be used to determine what is real and fake: (key fact graphics)
Authenticity - Always check the source!
○ No genuine animal organisation associated
○ The page/account has multiple fake rescue or similar videos
○ No follow-up on what happened to the animals
○ Unprofessional rescue or vet practices
○ Human ”rescuer” is always the same person
Reality Check - What is really happening?
○ Unlikely to be a random encounter caught on camera
○ The same animals appear in multiple videos
Creation - How the content is created
○ The creator delays assisting the animal in filming the situation
○ Clear editing of videos and multiple camera angles
SMACC advises that viewers look for indicators of fake rescue and report such content directly to the platforms. Do not watch, engage or share the content.
ENDS
For more information and to arrange an interview with an expert, please reach out to Nez Sevim, Global Head of PR and Media at Animals Asia - mailto:[email protected]
About SMACC
The AfA Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC) is composed of 29 well-known and respected animal advocacy organisations who share the aim of stopping the proliferation of animal cruelty content on social media platforms. SMACC is a collaboration by various members of the Asia for Animals Coalition network.
About Animals Asia
Animals Asia is devoted to ending bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. We promote compassion and respect for all animals and work to bring about long-term change.
Founded in 1998, the Animals Asia team has been rescuing bears since 1994. We operate award-winning bear rescue sanctuaries in China and Vietnam, and we are the only organisation with a bear sanctuary in China. Our founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c., Hon LLD is widely recognised as the world’s leading authority on the cruel bear bile industry, having campaigned against it since 1993.
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