If you’ve ever been on Tinder before (don’t lie!), you may have noticed a super weird, random trend going on: Guys posing with tigers. Real, live, scary tigers. We don’t know why dudes think this screams “boyfriend material,” but they’re at least entertaining to look at, right? Ehh, not according to New York State, which is taming the tiger trend.
Back in June, we told you about how state legislators had passed a bill that would ban taking a photo while touching a tiger. This week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it, making the ban official.
Until now, posing with lions and tigers was a popular attraction at state fairs. Even local zoos and traveling animal shows got in on the racket, once they figured out how in-demand the pics were. Now it carries a $500 penalty.
Even though this is a major loss for a hefty chunk of Empire State Tinder bros, it’s a huge victory for wildlife advocates. “This is a serious issue,” said Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. “People who take selfies with wild animals are fooling with their lives. And it harms the animal because they’re generally not well-treated. They’re seen as profit-making props.”
She definitely has a point — stupid, preventable, selfie-related accidents have been on the upswing lately. Sorry, boys, but you’ll have to woo girls some other way. Here’s a free idea: Try posing with a house cat. We hear they’re pretty tame and easy to find.
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