Tag Archives: diamonds

Stopping by the island paradise of Phuket, Thailand, on her Diamonds world tour last Friday, Rihanna took a selfie with an endangered slow loris. “Look who was talkin dity to me!” Rihanna captioned the pic. Soon after, two men got arrested over this. Why, you ask? Little did Rih know she was aiding local authorities in enforcing a law banning Thai citizens from charging tourists money to take photos with the primate. According to the Phuket News , officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources began investigating the photo at the urging of animal welfare groups. A police raid turned up two suspects, 20-year-old and 16-year-old males, who were both taken into custody. All because Rihanna ‘s pic went viral. The men could face up to four years in prison and big fines while the cute critters in their possession will be returned to a national park in Phang Nga. The slow loris, which is native to Southeast Asia, has seen its numbers dwindle dramatically since the 1960s due to deforestation and the wildlife trade. Many of the animals seen in markets often have high mortality rates due to illegal capturing and extensive abuse suffered at the hands of their keepers. Hence, wildlife’s conservation groups were concerned that such pics put online by Rihanna could increase the danger to the protected species. No one’s targeting Rihanna in the investigation, just the fact that there were guys with a loris who were offering it up for photos with passing tourists. Along with the slow loris, the Barbadian singer uploaded an Instagram shot of her feeding elephants, writing, “They all hail Empress when she walk by.” Word. Rihanna wasn’t done causing a Thailand stir, either. The controversial star posted NSFW tweets about taking in an X-rated sex show in Phuket’s red-light district, which also sparked the interest of local police. Those shows are against the law. Hopefully, as her tour moves to Singapore and Australia, she’ll stick to taking selfies with non-endangered wild animals like koalas, kangaroos or Chris Brown .

Originally posted here:
Rihanna, Slow Loris Pose For Photo; Two Dudes Get Arrested in Thailand