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Shark-petting pix near Phuket spark Net outrage

Shark-petting pix near Phuket spark Net outrage

PHUKET: Photos of super-excited Thai tourists ignorant enough to “pet” a baby shark pulled from the waters of Koh Phi Phi have enraged the online community this week after a marine activist helped spread the word.

natural-resources
By Coconuts Bangkok

Tuesday 19 May 2015 03:23 PM


The pictures of the baby shark being "petted" have caused Internet fury.

The pictures of the baby shark being "petted" have caused Internet fury.

Following viral photos of tourists touching star fish – not to mention former beauty queens mugging with kidnapped babies – marine activist Thon Thamrongnawasawat condemned the tour group and its operator online yesterday and encouraged officials to intervene.

“So now they catch baby sharks for tourists?” he wrote. “They let her suffocate on the land while humans rubbed and took selfies with her. I don’t even know what to say.”

The post was shared nearly 2,000 times.

The source of the photos was not included, but the cringe-worthy caption said, “Nothing is more exciting than getting to pet an alive shark during Koh Phi Phi trip. The boat operator caught it for us.”

Thon encouraged netizens to share the photos as an example of what people should not do when visiting an island.