Is vaping healthier than traditional cigarettes? Some say so, others are undecided, but one thing is for sure — while it may be less dangerous than second-hand cigarette smoke, blowing a big vape cloud in somebody’s face is always a dick move, no matter who they are.
Yesterday, Doni Herdaru Tona, the founder of Animal Defenders Indonesia, shared a video from another Instagram user he identified as @davidapec (whose Instagram account is currently set to private). According to Doni, it was taken yesterday afternoon at the Batu Secret Zoo in Malang, Central Java.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Blz5OvSjrlS/?hl=en&taken-by=doniherdaru
In the caption, Doni says that Batu Secret Zoo needs better security and rules to prevent such incidents from taking place, but the only real way to stop it is for people to develop a conscience and consideration for others.
“We already know what is good and what isn’t good. So just don’t do what isn’t good, okay?”
He also included the hashtag #stopbegok (#StopBeingStupid)
Public outrage over the video earned a quick response from both the zoo and David the vaper. David apparently apologized to the zoo and published an apology video to his Instagram account (although it’s still in private mode, the apology was shared by the zoo as well).
Following the apology, the zoo did not make mention of taking legal action against David.
In March, another viral video of a man throwing a cigarette at an orangutan (who already knew how to smoke it) also led to outrage over his actions as well as the deplorable state of animal welfare in Indonesia’s zoos.
Under Indonesia’s KUHP criminal code, animal abuse is punishable by up to three months in prison, as well as a paltry fine of IDR4,500 (US$0.33), which would have been plenty in the Dutch colonial era (when the KUHP was originally drawn up) but that would barely buy you a bottle of water these days. Activists have long called for tougher punishments for animal abuse in Indonesia.
