A tiger has had his eyes removed and eyelids sown shut with the drastic operation being blamed on excessive camera flashes while he was held in captivity.
Firmin the tiger currently resides at La Tanière Zoo Refuge in France where he arrived “virtually sightless” in 2019 after being held as a show animal in Spain. His sight loss is apparently because of the “relentless exposure to camera flashes from tourists,” according to the zoo refuge.
“When he arrived, Firmin was already 95 percent blind. He was very thin because, obviously, these animals there, when they are only used to make money, not many people take care of them,” the co-founder of La Tanière Zoo Refuge Patrick Violas tells World Animal Protection UK.
According to a report in Digital Camera World, Firmin underwent his first operation in 2021 but staff discovered “perforating ulcers in one of the eyes” and the formation of glaucomas. This led to another operation on January 15 but the vet decided the best course of action was to remove the tiger’s eyes and sew the lids shut to prevent any more pain.
The report claims that Firmin was involved in photo shoots when he was a cub and incessant camera flashes during his lifetime caused his blindness.
While camera flashes are generally considered safe for the eyes of humans and animals, Digital Camera World reports that tiger’s eyes have “large lenses and pupils that allow more light in.” While this allows them to see well in low light conditions, it apparently makes them more sensitive to light.
“It’s really sad,” says Voila. “The operation cost a lot of money because they had to bring in a specialist.”
Can Tigers Really Go Blind From Camera Flashes?
PetaPixel attempted to speak with an expert about whether a tiger really can suffer eye damage from camera flashes but is still awaiting a response as of publication.
In a Nature TTL article, Dr. Martin Stevens, an Associate Professor in Sensory and Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Exeter, says “different animals have different sensitivities to light, and this will depend on how bright the light source is and how adapted their eyes are to the current light conditions.”
Although there is a lack of research, there’s a general consensus that flash in daylight conditions shouldn’t affect an animal’s eyesight. However, nighttime flash photography, particularly on nocturnal animals, could present a threat to the animal’s eyesight.
An infamous clip of a tuna fish apparently reacting to a camera flash inside an aquarium in Japan causing it to speed into the glass and die highlights the potential hazards of flashes inside aquariums which is generally discouraged.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
