They're cute, they smile for the camera and they seem to like us. But these appealing little marsupials – basking in the full glare of international social media attention with the explosion of the #quokkaselfie – may be getting a bad deal.
By WIKI SU
Quokka selfies have taken the world by storm, with images of the apparently smiling Western Australian marsupial flooding social media since late February.
As a result tourists are flocking to Rottnest Island, Western Australia, the only region in the world where quokkas live.
The species popped up as the second-most clicked animal – after cats – during the month, with #quokkaselfie still trending on Instagram and Twitter.
Rottnest Island Authority corporate communications manager Penni Fletcher-Hughes watched the growing popularity of quokkas online.
“Certainly we have [seen] that an increasing number of people across the world are talking about quokkas,” Ms Fletcher-Hughes said.
According to the island’s annual report for 2013-14, more than 540,000 visits were made to Rottnest, representing a 4.3 per cent increase in visits compared with the previous year.
This increase was a result of a Huffington Post article dubbing the quokka “the happiest animal” in the world, and proactive measures aimed to increase the popularity of Rottnest Island as a tourist destination.
It has put the island on the tourist map. Dutch university student Evelyn Liu, 20, said she would definitely go after seeing the scores of quokka selfies unsocial media.
“They are so cute and I [can’t] see them at home,” Ms Liu said.
Quokkas are gradually becoming a lovable mascot for the 19 sq km island, which has been suffering from stagnating visitor growth.
The average number of visitors for the past five years was 504,400 – only a minor increase since 2001, when the figure reached 500,000.
While the online trend has brought a much-needed boost to tourism, concerns have been raised about the potential harm human interactions could cause.
Due to habitat destruction and human interference, the 12,000 quokkas on Rottnest Island are listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Evidence has shown that touching or feeding quokkas while taking photos is detrimental and even fatal to them, Ms Fletcher-Hughes said.
If tourists feed quokkas food such as bread, chips or meat, they can become ill. Water from non-natural sources can also be toxic, and potentially lethal.
Similar cases of human interactions harming animals have also been found in St Kilda, home to a colony of Little penguins.
Earthcare St Kilda penguin researcher Zoe Hogg said about 1200 Little penguins live in the colony.
Like quokkas, Little penguins attract the interest and attention of tourists. The boom in selfie sticks has caused problems, with some people poking them into the rock crannies of the colony in order to take close-up photos.
This risks causing injury to any penguin in the rock habitat, particularly to chicks, apart from the damage the bright light of the flash can do at close quarters.
Stkildapenguins.com.au begs tourists to take care.
"There could be a penguin hidden beneath the rocks, you may stab it, you may poke it in the eye and blind it, you may kill a chick. Please, please, do not put selfie sticks into the penguin habitat," the website says.
Tourism dilemma
A dilemma exists between the fact that tourism props the daily operation of conservation sites, and that the increasing number of tourists may harm the wild animals’ habitat.
Service revenue gained from tourism comprised more than 95 per cent of Rottnest Island’s annual revenue in 2013-14.
Faced with the potential increase in tourist numbers, local authorities are starting to take measures to ensure the quokka selfie spree is sustainable, by making sure people know what is and isn't OK.
Russia's St Petersburg State University marsupial expert Yegor Malaschichev told National Geographic snapping a selfie with a friendly quokka should do no harm, as long as people kept their distance. Touching the animals is illegal.
University of Western Australia conservation biologist Sue Miller said people should not feed them.
“People tend to feed them fries, bread, or fruit, and the animals become trusting of humans, which can cause problems,” Dr Miller told National Geographic.