Social media has become a powerful tool for raising awareness and supporting animal welfare. Every day, people discover causes, connect with rescuers, and donate with the intention of helping animals in need.
However, this visibility has also created opportunities for abuse.
Over the past five years, a growing number of social media accounts originating from Uganda have appeared, featuring young individuals who present themselves as animal lovers or rescuers. These accounts often display what appear to be legitimate shelters or kennels, carefully staged to look authentic. Dogs are shown in severe distress, creating a strong sense of urgency.
What viewers often do not realize is that this suffering may be intentionally caused. Animals are deliberately neglected, starved, or physically harmed in order to produce shocking and emotional content. Such images attract attention, generate pity, and encourage donations and engagement.
Each interaction — views, likes, comments, shares, and donations — helps these individuals grow. Instead of helping the animals, this attention enables the abuse to continue and expand. What appears to be rescue may, in reality, be a system built on deliberate cruelty.
How do these individuals operate?
This model of creating fake shelters and soliciting donations through social media in Uganda has originated in Mityana and surrounding areas. These individuals operate across multiple social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, Snapchat and Pinterest.
The phenomenon began when some young Ugandan men were influenced by legitimate national and international animal shelter accounts on social media. When the first scam accounts pushed this model to an abusive and exploitative level and gained visibility and financial success online, others followed and attempted to replicate the same approach. Over time, this practice expanded and developed into a widespread and organized system.
Creation of a "shelter"
Dogs are taken from the streets and, in some cases, stolen from local owners, and then used to create what is presented online as a shelter. These shelters can be set up on family-owned land or on land belonging to the individuals themselves. Some locations are rented or shared, sometimes for a very short period of time, only to record photos and videos. This content is then reposted over several days to create the illusion of a permanent rescue facility.
Injuries and patterns of harm
Animals presented online frequently show severe and visible injuries. In some cases, local licensed veterinarians who have seen these animals have noted that the injuries observed do not appear consistent with accidental causes. Animals with the most visible injuries are repeatedly reused, exchanged, or rented for content.
Staged situations
Rescue scenes are often staged, with individuals filming dramatic discoveries, rescues, or emotional reactions to increase viewer sympathy. Medical treatment is frequently staged and, in most cases, is not performed by licensed veterinarians.
Why This Persists
They have built an almost perfect system for holding attention on social media, with access to an unlimited supply of dogs and an extremely easy donation process. A collaboration was established between Uniquely Paws Ltd, SMACC, LucidCrueltyFighters, and TikTok to ban these accounts from the platform, but the number of accounts involved is extremely high, and new accounts are continuously created after others are removed.
How to spot fraudulent animal rescue accounts — common warning signs
These accounts are often run by young men in Mityana and surrounding areas, presenting themselves in makeshift shelters with a large number of animals kept in crowded conditions. Their videos use distressing images, sad background sounds, and urgent text claiming immediate help is needed. There is little to no clear information about medical treatment, vaccinations, or sterilization. Thousands of profiles display the same animals, the same locations, and the same methods of operation. They actively seek personal contact, and supporters are pressured to create or participate in fundraisers and send money directly through payment platforms.
Verification checklist
Is the organization officially registered? Has thorough online research been done on the organization? Are financial needs and expenses explained clearly and consistently? Are there verifiable indications of how donated money is used? Does the organization work with other registered organizations? Do the animals show injuries that appear to be man-made? Does the social media content appear staged or repetitive? Is active medical care provided by an identifiable veterinarian? Does the organization respond openly to reasonable questions?
Conclusion
Be careful who you trust and support. In today's social media era, everything can be staged. The animals may be real, but the stories presented online are not always true. If we want animal exploitation on social media to stop, there must be no interaction — engagement and money keep these scams alive. Until protections are fully in place, the responsibility is ours. Only donate to organizations you can verify with certainty.
