Man takes selfie with walrus, pays with his life

As the selfie bar keeps getting higher, we report more and more sad selfie stories, and while some may argue that selfie caused deaths is the new natural selection (or Darwin award candidates), no one should pay with their life for a stupid photo decision.

According to the shanghaiist, a man visiting the the Yeshanko Wildlife Zoo in China took a selfie with some of the animals, including a walrus. In what speculated to be a “game” or a “hug attempt”, the walrus drowned the man to death. A zoo keeper, who according to the report, was caring for the animal for over 10 years jumped to the rescue, but was also drowned to death.

While the walrus may look cute it is simply dangerous by size. At about 1 ton, even a small kiss or a friendly pat may end in injury, definitely an attempt at hugging under water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w_bnFPBK6w

A video of the habitat was shared by the Shanghaiist showing how easy it is to go above the single fence and get very close to the animals. The Since the animal is so accessible, the Shanghaiist wonders how come a fatal accident did not happen sooner.

One thought is that the “selfie war” is peaking, so we are seeing more casualties. In fact selfies has become a significant death factor enough that some countries have launched campaigns for “safe selfies”. (And at least this one from Russia warns against taking photos with wild animals)

[via ubergizmo]