Photos like this fuel animal abuse and the illegal wildlife trade. Instagram has launched a campaign to educate users about the harm wildlife selfies can cause. Tigertemple by Dmitri 1999. CC BY 3.0

Wildlife selfies can be seriously problematic. In October, National Geographic published an investigative article on the trend of “selfie safaris,” in which tourists pay money to take pictures of themselves interacting with wild animals. This practice fuels animal abuse and threats to wild animal populations. In light of reports from National Geographic and other organizations, Instagram is stepping up.

In order to educate users about the harm caused by wildlife selfies, Instagram has initiated a new alert system. When users enter a hashtag that is related to wildlife selfies or the illegal wildlife trade, they will receive a pop-up warning them of the dangers associated with those activities. Users will then be able to follow links…