We wanted to obtain a real vision of what animals see, so we attached cameras to them, converting them into photographers. The images captured were sold on LatinStock’s website (in collaboration with WWF) with all profits going to the animals themselves. The collection was divided amongst the different species that took photos and when someone bought one, they could see which animal the proceeds from their purchase was going to help. We promoted the collection we utilizing other digital channels like YouTube (with a series of videos shot by the animals) and Instagram (where we showcased the photos for sale).

After the campaign launched on the 21st of March 2015, different media outlets (as well as on social media) took interest in the story, seeing it as a new form of using images for a charitable purpose. As a result of the campaign, LatinStock’s website experienced a 300% increase in traffic, receiving a media attention and generating awareness of animal rights. The proceeds from the photo collection continue to grow, taking into account that the campaign is still in progress. On the other hand, the number of WWF members has increased by 10%.

In 2014, photographer David Slater sued Wikimedia Commons, claiming authorship of a “selfie” taken by a monkey with his camera. A U.S. court recognized the lack of authorship of the image, ruling that it belonged to neither the photographer nor the monkey.

Animal rights have evolved over time to protect their lives and well-being but, until now, no one has made an effort to protect their image copyrights. So WWF and LatinStock joined forces to create Animal Copyrights: The first collection of images made by and starring animals, whose proceeds are donated in their entirety to the animals themselves. We combined the targets of two brands: WWF, who has spent the last 75 years fighting for animal rights and LatinStock, an image bank that administers the authorship rights of photographers all over the world. The campaign combined both targets: consumers of stock images and people interested in helping animals.