Tourism Tasmania is asking visitors to Maria Island, an uninhabited island state off Australia's south coast, to stop taking selfies with wombats. Ruth Dowty from Tasmania's East Coast Regional Tourism Organisation tells BuzzFeed News that there are a number of people taking photos with wombats by chasing them with selfie sticks or picking them up. "They’re so chilled, they’re so laid back and they’re such teddy bear-looking creatures so it’s almost irresistible," she notes. Dowty says, however, that the wombats were brought to the island for protection and to live in peace. The tourism board is therefore asking visitors to sign a pledge that reads, "Wombats, when you trundle past me I pledge I will not chase you with my selfie stick, or get too close to your babies. I will not surround you, or try and pick you up."
Tasmania Is Asking Tourists To Stop Annoying Wombats With Selfie Sticks