Don't touch animals, it's simple. I remember being in St Kitts a couple of years ago and watching some idiot American playing frisbee with a starfish. The worst days were the ones cruise ships came in.

I published the post on Twitter and on my cats´ Facebook page, it makes me angry when people disrespect other countries´ culture, people and wildlife, and in my opinion this post here can´t be spread wide and far enough to raise awareness, thanks a lot for publishing it.

Tourism is easy: Respect local people, respect local customs, respect local law. Do this, and you'll always be welcome.

Tourists shouldn't have to know the local laws of the places they're visiting? B***h, yes you do. It's on the guests to learn the law of the land, not the other way around you entitled twats.

As someone who lives in hawaii- most people hate the fact that tourists are so insensitive but we also need them because they promote business.

You are not royalty when visiting another place. You're a guest. Act like it.

The only time you should touch a wild animal is if you're saving it. Ex: Getting a net or plastic that is wrapped around its neck.

I lived in Kona and the signs are EVERYWHERE. I'm not a native Hawaiian but was perfectly capable of figuring out the rules and sticking to them. Ignorance of a law doesn't excuse u from it.. if you believe that, next time ur pulled over just say you didn't know the speed limit and see how far that gets you...(unless you have aREALLY nice cop it won't get you far). It's not hard to file the rules in Hawaii, people are super laid back and easy-going just don't be rude or disrespectful of the rules and you will have a blast. Bedding respectful of another culture isn't hard and finding out about a place BEFORE going there seems a lot like common sense .

Do people forget that the islands are part of the United States and have laws too? I mean I wouldn't expect someone to come from Florida to Connecticut and know where the bird sanctuaries are or protected marshlands or historic districts... but I would assume that people would ask before heading out what was ok to see or do or any restrictions. Like I'm not going to come to your house an just open your kitchen cabinets and touch your food so don't do it my house. Fine them. Even take the beaches and fence them off. Save the animals. They are just trying to live an stay alive. If tourists can't respect the rules take the beaches away from them and have a local permit to go in for locals.

True of any place that gets a lot of tourists. There is zero respect when people think they don't have to face what they did because they're leaving.

100% agree with her.

Biologists that study Monk Seals do so wearing sterile hazmat gear. Monk Seals are susceptible to a host of pathogens, even getting distemper from household pets. It is rare to see them. They are called Monk Seals because they are solitary and only gather to mate. The Caribbean used to have Monk Seals, but the colonists killed them off.

I'm sick of grown adults acting like children. Really tho I see children act better. Passing blame?! Oh it wasn't me, oh I didn't know. Lies. They know. They see the signs. They just want dumb pictures. Grown adults need to take care of their trash, learn real respect, and act responsibly. Don't hurt the precious little left of nature.

It's too bad more of these animals don't attack. Like you're totally going to learn a bigger lesson about leaving wildlife alone and obeying the local signs when the "OMG SO CUTE (animal)" attacks and then you're fined and jailed after medical treatment

Sadly there is no law against stupidity or entitlement. If I go somewhere and see a seal, it wouldn't cross my mind to go there and touch it, no matter if endangered or not. It is a wild animal and I leave it alone. To protect it and also to keep myself safe.

Respect other country’s, states and provinces rules, customs and laws when you visit or don’t visit at all.

"They shouldn't have to know the laws before when they come to visit here." And that's how you end up in jail abroad.

If you travel to another country, you can't feign ignorance- you very well may be arrested. Same for us here. Just look up the areas you're going to, people!

I saw a post of hers on Buzzfeed, insisting people should never go there at all anymore

"We shouldn't have to know the laws of the places we visit" but you can bet that if you went to their home town, they'd be the first to complain if you infringed some kind of local custom or tradition 🤦‍♂️

Entitled much? You don't need to know the laws of the land you're visiting? How about I come to your house and sh!t in your garden? Oh that's illegal? I didn't know that.

Tourists think that money = entitled selfish dangerous behavior. (Ex-Montana resident here--just look at the national parks! God Almighty, the human race is doomed.)

Well said! Stand up for the animals that can't speak for themselves! Imagine if they'd been in a place like China or the Middle East. That fine would be the least of their worries. Rules/laws are there for a reason.

Sadly, this is true in almost every (U.S.) area where there are wild critters - Yellowstone, etc. It's real simple, people: if it doesn't have a collar and isn't on a leash... LEAVE IT THE F*CK ALONE! Please help preserve the wildlife by spreading this message. Thank you.

Why do people even go up to strange animals and touch them? That's not a smart thing to do anywhere in the world, whether you're in your own local area or not. Even if it's a dog someone is walking, you shouldn't touch them without the owner's permission.

I do my damnedest to ignore grammar and punctuation in these articles, but this one really threw me. In the paragraph starting “ And speaking of respect, ” it says “[2] don’t overstay your welcome at tourist traps and experience Hawaiʻi culture by learning ōlelo Hawai’i—the Hawaiian language—or learn hula by seeking classes from a Kumu Hula—a hula teacher”. I read it several times and found it hard to believe that learning the language or learning to hula were frowned upon, and seen as overstaying your welcome. I realize the pettiness of misconstruing an entire statement due to the absence of one comma or semicolon. Should I assume the statement is a positive one?

i would love to go to hawaii so i could do absolutely nothing past breathe the green, stare at the sky, listen to the water, throw a bottle of hooch into a volcano and consume a butt-ton of spam. i promise not to act like a howlie.

I really wish they would just stop building more and more hotels there. I have relatives on Oahu and whenever I visit them (like every seven years or so) there are more tourists than the previous time and constant construction work expanding towards the western side of the island. The place is already ridiculously crowded with tourists - this greedy urge to cram even more tourists in is so shortsighted.

Whr i came from, we hve a sacred mountain called mount Kinabalu & it is the highest mountain in southeast asia. Every year thousand of tourist climbed it. So back in 2015, there was a group of western tourist stripped off their clothes, urinated & even curse the mountain guide who warned them. They did this at the peak of mountain. Then ofc, they were brought to court & local are so angry at them. Few weeks later, earthquake happened & killed 18 climbers which included a mountain guide, students (climbers) from singapore & teachers too. We (the local) believe the stupid act of that group of tourist had made the mountain spirit angry.

Yes, it's a problem. But I like how she doesn't mention the Hawaiian Fisherman who shot, and killed a monk seal because he thought it was eating "his fish". Or the Hilo man who butchered a green sea turtle and claimed he was exempt from the law because he was Hawaiian. Being an idiot is the problem. Everyone needs to be educated.

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

It’s uncomfortable whenever I visited Hawai’i. Seeing a colonial tourist trap hurts me. The culture is not a trivial attraction or trend for whites to consume and leave their garbage. I think the problem isn’t just that whites hate other cultures, but that they have almost no respect for the idea of culture itself. They’ve pridefully and foolishly renounced it. Everything is a shallow commodity to colonials. They destroy earth for commodities. Anything old is “barbaric,” and not meaningful; not passed down. They’ll even destroy each other, when there’s none left to colonize and degrade. Culture is an extension of family. Family is love. Look around. The regime destroys the idea of family left and right. There’s no multigenerational households. And no sense of family with the planet, or with other races. Cancel me if you will, but I think making them face their own culture is the cure. Multicultural life is the way God wants us to live. To see us all as a greater family.