Australia is enjoying one of its most beautiful seasons of the year, when the canola fields are in bloom. Unfortunately, some influencers hoping to score the perfect picture could cause an ecological horror if they continue sneaking into these protected spaces.
Guardian Australia took to TikTok to have a reporter explain why Australia is considering these influencers a “biosecurity risk.”
Basically, influencers are dazzled by the lush fields brimming with bright yellow flowers, which have become “a common Instagram background favorite.” One issue is that people are “jumping fences and trampling through crops” to get to them.
“Some farmers are even reporting people cutting fences and point-blank refusing to leave,” reporter Matilda Boseley explained, adding this is akin to “people breaking into your front yard to take pictures with your roses.”
The more alarming issue is influencers are breaking the country’s strict biosecurity laws. In order to properly and safely enter these fields, people have to go through rigorous quarantines so that they don’t accidentally introduce something to these delicate ecosystems.
Meaning, if someone visiting Australia doesn’t change their shoes after a flight and hops the fence, they are cross contaminating for a few Instagram likes. Boseley says those actions can “genuinely devastate the agricultural industry.”
The reporter also pointed out that trespassers, whom she called “an invasive species,” are also risking their lives. Australia is home to some of the world’s most deadliest creatures, she warned. “Do people not realize how many snakes there are in these fields? It’s tall grass. In Australia,” Boseley said.