The Silly Season is generally thought of as being at the end of the year, but for some photographers, it’s around now.
I’ve lost count of the number of mini sessions I’ve seen advertised on social media and elsewhere that shout “with LIVE CHICKS!”, “with BUNNIES!” or “with REAL DUCKLINGS!” as part of the draw, alongside photos of children with said living, breathing creatures. Some of those children still in nappies.
Well, you can imagine just how THAT’s going to pan out…
Little ones who don’t know any better will of course reach out and make a grab for those cute little fluffy bundles, and, holding them fast in their chubby little fists. some will try to find out what they taste like too. But it’s all in the name of cute photos (and money), so it’s ok, right??
Wrong. So, so wrong.
Can you imagine just how stressful those cutesie photoshoots are for those animals, just babies themselves? It’s disturbing that there are photographers* out there who will put living creatures into a situation of stress and pain, and that there are people who will then pay to have their children photographed contributing to that stress and pain.
(NB – I do NOT hold the children responsible in any way for their part in this…they don’t know any better. Their desire to grab and hold something interesting is natural, and when that interesting object is something they shouldn’t touch for whatever reason, parents or carers step in and prevent anything bad from happening.)
But dig a little deeper, and the chain extends further. Posts on social media where these photographers* are looking to hire chicks, ducklings or baby rabbits for photoshoots, and finding them. Or buying them and then discarding them, or selling them on.
Here’s the thing…
ANIMALS ARE NOT PROPS.
(It’s not rocket science.)
Here’s why…
- Chicks and ducklings need a specific setup for their survival, including heatlamps and bedding.
- The studio environment alone, with lights, noises, temperature changes and hard surfaces, is very stressful for animals that aren’t trained to perform.
- Animals are at serious risk of injury or death from being mishandled, dropped or crushed. Children are also at risk of being bitten or scratched.
- Birds can carry diseases such as parrot fever and salmonella.
- Rabbits as a rule don’t like being handled…they’re prey animals and find it very stressful.
The bottom line is that, in the UK, it’s not legal.. Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England) 2018 regulations, all animals working in the audiovisual industries for commercial purposes must be licensed. Which is great, but it’s not being enforced everywhere. So, just to be clear, I’ll say it again…
ANIMALS ARE NOT PROPS.
If you see it, do those little critters a favour, and report it.
* Some photographers, thankfully in the minority. Notably at the cheapest end of the market. Thankfully this abhorrent practice hasn’t taken a very strong hold in the UK yet, though you don’t have to look very hard to find examples.
Sources:
https://www2.hse.ie/babies-children/child-safety/pets/birds/
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7ebf4f40f0b62305b82ec7/broiler_flocks_cop.pdf
https://science.rspca.org.uk/documents/d/science/rspca-duck-welfare-standards-2023
https://www.caldervets.co.uk/pet-help-advice/rabbits/young-rabbits/77-how-to-care-for-a-new-pet-rabbit
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/new-to-rabbits/
The SnapDragon 