“Get some Selfie Control.” That’s the tagline for a new Instagram filter launched in Jackson Hole to view wildlife safely.
Now, when visitors go to take a photo of an animal on the Instagram app, they can search for the filter and choose what they’re viewing. A small outline of the animal appears which they can line up with real life.
“So, if the animal appears larger than the outline on your phone, you’re too close,” said Crista Valentino, the executive director of the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board, which launched the filter.
She said a lot of people come to the area to see bears, bison, moose or elk, but they often get too close and end up getting hurt. The goal isn’t to shame people, but to meet them where they’re at with more information.
“So what we’re excited about is giving people the ability, like another tool, to be able to really understand how far 25 yards is or how far 100 yards is,” Valentino said, “because it’s difficult to judge that distance when you have such a great expanse.”
The filter is open source, so any community can adopt it. Valentino said Park City, Utah, and towns around Yellowstone are already interested.
“The more destinations, the more communities that can use this information … the more likely we are just to have a better relationship between humans and wildlife,” she said.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
