Tourism Australia deletes controversial Instagram post following backlash from wildlife advocates

A turtle swims close to the camera in beautiful sunbeams of light coming from the surface of the ocean at Ningaloo reef, Australia
By Zach Havard


Wildlife advocates and photographers asked Tourism Australia to remove a post from their Instagram account last week after raising concerns about the message of the image used.

The image is shot from above and shows a women swimming in crystal clear waters, with a number of turtles dotted around here in the shallows.

The controversy has arisen off the back of a number of wildlife advocates finding the original image, which was posted in November 2022 (mating season for turtles in the area).

The Instagram post in question.

Some are now claiming the photo could signify a breach of conservation policies in the world heritage protected site surrounding rules for turtle tourism as the animals would only congregate in this manner if they were mating.

The Western Australia department of biodiversity and conservation (DBCA) turtle watchers code of conduct states that getting close to mating turtles is off limits.

“Sea turtles are susceptible to being disturbed during mating season,” marine program coordinator, DBCA Exmouth, Peter Barnes, told Yahoo News.

“Anyone who encounters this natural phenomenon while in the water, should move away and watch from a practical distance to not disturb the animals.”

DBCA turtle code of conduct. (Source: Department of biodiversity, conservation and attractions. Western Australia) 

According to the DBCA, there is sufficient signage at multiple access points in the area to educate members of the public about environmental factors that need to be taken into consideration and promote the turtle watching code of conduct on the Jurabi Coast.

The post was not deleted for a full five days after the first concerns were raised regarding the message that Tourism Australia’s Instagram post was spreading.

It had received over 80,000 likes and over 500 comments prior to being removed from the account.

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