All those pics in Thailand during her Diamonds World Tour stop have caused some drama. When Rihanna posted a pic (above) with an animal called a Slow Loris, drama ensued.
Rih posted the pic saying, “Slow Look who was talkin dirty to me! #Thailand #nightlife.”
Unfortunately, the Loris is an endangered species. Thai officials and wildlife groups have worked to make it illegal for people to possess the animals or to make a profit from them. And charging tourists to snap photos with the animals is a no-no.
The government ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and local Phuket officials to investigate once the pic hit the net. In comes the Thai officials who, according to CNN, tracked down the two males (ages 16 and 20) who were responsible for handing over the Loris to Rihanna. And the guys were promptly arrested Sunday night and charged for Possession of an endangered species.
“It is very difficult to do the raids because the touts have spies,” Awat Nithikul, leader of the patrol officers, told The Phuket News.
“If someone hears that the police are coming their way, there will be a person who calls the touts and tells them to move. But this is a big deal because it might affect Thailand’s reputation.”
Either the Thai officials follow RiRi on Twitter/IG or due to the hundreds of thousands of Likes the pic received, word traveled to the authorities quickly.
While Ri’s IG pic is the main cause for these boys’ arrest, couldn’t it also be a good thing since now an endangered species has been protected from possible exploitation & abuse?
