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Unguja. Zanzibar is all about people having a great time; the archipelago functions like a large adult amusement park under the tropical sun, so like any amusement park, there are rules to follow. With plenty of activities available, surprisingly, taking a photo or video with a starfish has become a trend that has been popularized by tourists who are unaware of its damaging impact on marine life. Social media platforms are filled with images of these tourists holding starfish out of water for photos and adding cute captions, not realizing that at that moment, the starfish is struggling to survive, unable to breathe and likely only has a few minutes left before dying. By the time you take the picture, you are also taking the life of a marine creature in Zanzibar’s rich marine ecosystem, which is essential to its existence. Francis Mbonde, a local tour guide known as Lubaacris Tours Safari on social media, has witnessed the worst of this practice. Scanning through Instagram, he sees many smiling faces holding starfish. He said the beauty of the starfish has unfortunately made it a target for humans. “Tourists are attracted to them and love to take pictures with them, but sadly, they have to lift them out of the water,” he said. Most of the time, starfish are found washed up on the shores during low tides at the sandbanks, he added. Some tourists who go on boats to explore coral reefs and the waters of the Indian Ocean often engage in this behavior. Mbonde described a scenario: when someone picks up a starfish for a picture on a boat with eight tourists, if they pass the starfish around for photos, after each of the eight takes a picture, it will surely be dead by the time they finish. He explained, The situation on the ground is complex. When talking about local guides and their responsibility to educate visitors against picking up starfish from the water, some claim they try their best to warn tourists, but they say some tourists ignore them. When speaking to locals, they mention that tour guides profit from the trend; a tourist wanting a picture with a starfish is charged extra by the guides, who then help them get the perfect shot in exchange for money. Mbonde suggested that alternatively, one can take a picture of or with the starfish while it’s still underwater, where it’s in its natural habitat and safe. “Touching the fish isn’t harmful; picking it out of water is,” he insisted. As a tour guide, you should expect a tourist to question why they can’t pick up the starfish, perhaps out of curiosity or stubbornness, and you must be ready with an informed response that makes the tourist not only understand the harm but also become an ally in educating others about the dangers of removing them from the water. Mbonde understands the pressure other guides face when they want to ensure their clients have a good time on the island and the desire to let them take a simple picture with the fish without spoiling the mood, hoping for satisfactory tips from a happy customer at the end of the trip. The very social media where tourists post their pictures has sparked mixed opinions; some tourists claim they don’t take the starfish out of the water but find them ‘beached’ by the tides. They ask what to do when they come across them on the beach. It was too late to put them back into the water, and they were advised not to touch them and let nature take its course; if the tides return them, that would be fine, but let nature decide. In some cases, tourists have taken proactive steps; after understanding the authority’s call to leave starfish in the water, one tourist learned that local fishermen use them as bait to catch lobsters and questioned whether it’s legal for the fishermen to do so. It’s not just tourists who are responsible for this practice; some local children have been seen using canoes to hunt for starfish to sell to tourists. Allegedly, even some of the Maasai guards who walk along the beach pick up the starfish from the water to give to tourists for pictures in exchange for money. And this has been happening for years. Continuous awareness campaigns are essential; some tourists are genuinely unaware. They simply see lovely creatures and want to take pictures, not knowing the danger they’re putting the poor creature in. “To all tourists who want a photo with a starfish: please put your head underwater and then take a photo with a starfish. Let’s respect marine life and keep them in the water where they belong,” one person suggested. A group of tour guides took it upon themselves to launch a campaign against the practice of taking pictures with starfish, asking all tourists not to do it and guides to help spread awareness of what happens when the starfish is out of water and becomes part of the impromptu photo session. They explained that the bodies of starfish have papules called dermal gills where carbon dioxide gases are exchanged for oxygen between the coelomic liquid of the starfish and the water. Explaining how these species breathe, simply put, it’s like a starfish has hundreds of tiny noses all over its body. “As fresh air is toxic to starfish and they can’t hold their breath for very long, each time they’re lifted out of the water for a photo, they are drowning and suffering from a buildup of carbon dioxide,” the campaign said. “It’s the equivalent of someone filling your lungs with water for a little while and then emptying them again. It’s not a good day out.” “When this is done repeatedly, it’s a flip of the coin as to whether the poor creature can die from drowning or the stress of being semi-drowned so many times,” they insisted. Indeed, social media has tempted us to go to extremes to gain the attention of our followers or gain new ones. The campaign goes further to say, “Wildlife are not our playthings. Just because a creature is slow enough to be caught by human hands, that doesn’t give us the right to do so, and the social media attention gained certainly does not justify the harm caused to the critter,” they posted on a Facebook group. Understanding that humans might not have sinister motives for their acts, the initiative insists that, “This is an act we’re all guilty of at some point. What was happening to that animal in the moment didn’t cross our minds. But now we know better, so we must do better.” The Zanzibar authority is aware of what has been going on, and boats have been deployed to warn tourists against taking pictures with starfish. They come right before the tourists’ boats depart from the shores, and with loudspeakers, they warn tourists and their guides. It’s more of a reminder and not a punishable offense as yet, although many people online have suggested making it one so that the law can dissuade others from doing the same. Mbonde, on the other hand, understands the temptation that comes with seeing the magnificent colorful starfish for the first time; he said most tourists have never seen it and have only watched it on television, so coming face to face with it could be overwhelming. But he urged common sense to prevail. With the number of tourists flocking to the tiny spice island growing, intentional steps should be taken to protect marine life lest it become extinct right before our very own eyes. Though the practice of taking pictures with starfish is not the main event that brings the tourists to the island, the danger of it becoming one is real, catapulted by social media. Zanzibar cements its reputation as one of the world’s best travel destinations. Mr Mbonde urges visitors to respect the culture, norms, and way of life of the island, similarly to what is expected of any tourist visiting any foreign destination that encounters a different culture. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).