Rihanna has helped Thai authorities capture primate peddlers after her Instagram post exposed the illegal business.
When Rihanna stopped to snap a picture with a slow loris in Thailand she probably had no idea she would be helping law enforcement in Thailand make a major bust.
It all started when Rihanna shared the photo of the slow loris on her shoulder along with the caption, “Look who was talkin dirty to me!” The slow loris is a bug-eyed, squirrel-like primate.
The picture was “liked” by over 230,000 Instagram users before Thai officials caught sight of it and sprang into action.
In Thailand it is against the law to charge tourists to take pictures with endangered animals, including the slow loris.
Wildlife groups have been fighting this battle for quite some time now, trying to prevent locals from involvement with the illegal business. Now Rihanna has helped to put a stop to at least one team of primate peddlers.
On Sunday night, a raid took place that led to the arrest of two of the men involved – a 16-year-old and a 20-year-old.
The slow loris that was perched on Rihanna’s shoulder has been confiscated by the police along with another loris that was found during the raid.
The men face charges of possession of protected animals, which could potentially land them behind bars for four years, as well as a hefty fine.
Who would have guessed that Rihanna’s wild antics would ever make her a primate superhero?
In fact, that actually wasn’t the only thing that bad gal RiRi helped uncover during her short stay in the exotic country.
Her raunchy Instagram pictures also helped expose illegal Thai sex shows.
“The authorities and law officials have surveyed the area to arrest and fine those involved [in staging sex shows],” one official said.
The official added that many of the sex shows still happen and there isn’t anything they can do about it other than chase them down one show at a time.
While her trip helped bust some bad guys, it also showed off major tourist attractions in the country.
She did snap some perfectly legal photos with tamed elephants and the lush greenery that the country is known for. Not to mention her boat excursion, where she posted photos of herself in a chic black monokini as she took in the view.
By sharing those pictures with her over 9 million followers, she may actually be giving Thailand’s tourism industry a little boost.
In other words, in one weekend Rihanna managed to expose two illegal operations in the country in addition to providing free publicity for its tourist attractions. Maybe bad gal RiRi isn’t so bad after all?
