Rihanna’s instagram is one of the most popular profiles on the site. With close to ten million followers and eighteen hundred posts, Riri keeps fan’s worldwide updated on her travels and lifestyle. Normally, viewers are greeted to saucy or stylish pictures of the Bajan Badgirl. Until this past weekend, when the pop star had a surprise for her faithful flock.
While in Thailand for her Diamonds World Tour, Rihanna stopped to snap photos on the beach in her bathing suit and with some local wildlife. That wildlife would be the Slow Loris, in adorable furry primate, which is extremely rare and on the productive species list. It is highly illegal to own these animals and peddle them to tourist. Technically no one should be taking pictures with them, not even a multi-platinum artist like Rihanna. So when local Phuket authorities got wind of the snapshot, they immediately went out to find the problem.
“Phuket authorities were alerted to the picture (of Rihanna), and last night police arrested the two individuals who brought out the loris as a photo opportunity for tourists,” Weera Kerdsirimongkon a district police chief in Phuket, told the Associated Press. The men, aged twenty and sixteen respectively, could face up to four years in prison and $1,300 fine.
Thailand does not take this offense lightly. Luckily, Rihanna is a big enough star to bring a significant amount of light on the plight of the slow loris, which may attract some activist to their cause. We will keep you updated on any new information we receive.
Jimi (@Nativejimi)
Source: The Atlantic Wire
