How many times have you come across activities while traveling where animals are the protagonists? Have you ever been offered to have your photo taken with a macaque or a gibbon? Perhaps the same travel agency has offered to include in your package an excursion on the back of an elephant, or a visit to a tiger center where you can have your photo taken with beautiful cubs.
Or maybe, when you hired a guide in a big city, he took you to a zoo or a farm of dubious reputation, or to a show with snakes, crocodiles, etc. Welcome to the world of tourist traps and animal abuse!
As you can see, there are endless activities in which humans and animals interact, but are all these options ethical? What’s more, do we have the right to do whatever we want with the other living beings on this planet? Of course not.
Many of these activities where the main objective is to fill one’s pockets involve animal abuse, and the only reason why someone who likes animals attends them is ignorance and misinformation. If you want your vacation to be free of abuse, there are two things you have to be very clear about before attending any activity with animals:
Once you have understood the concept, the next step is to find out about the center you want to visit.
There are many good options where, in addition to being able to enjoy the local fauna, you will be contributing to a good cause, such as sanctuaries and rescue centers, but you have to bear in mind that some are not transparent or sincere with their intentions, as their only objective is to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor animals.
A clue: in rescue or recovery centers what will not be lacking is information about where each animal comes from.
When I talk about information, I’m not referring to comments from people on forums or tripadvisor, as most of them probably don’t even know the meaning of the word “stereotype”.
For example, how can someone who doesn’t understand animal behavior or whose experience with felines is having a cat in their house or their neighbor’s be sure whether a tiger is drugged or not?
What’s more, why do we insist on only wanting to know if animals are under the influence of narcotics in order to establish a moral limit and decide whether it is ethical or not to visit these centers?
If drugs are not used, how do you think a wild animal or one with a predatory instinct can be made submissive?
Have you stopped to think about where the animals come from or where they end up when they are no longer useful?
How are they bred? Do you know that behind some of these activities there is a whole network of animal trafficking?
When considering whether to go to a place or not, we should ask ourselves many more questions than the typical ones, and not trust any type of information. As I have already said, animal abuse involves many more things than we think, and most of the time it is not as obvious as one believes.
According to FAADA, “in the case of animals that have close contact with humans (…as is the case of the temple tigers) being released is potentially fatal for the tigers, humans and livestock.”
Luckily, society evolves, and today, through the Internet, it is much easier to access information and learn the reality behind certain businesses (sometimes not so much behind, but right under our noses, and we don’t know/want to see it).
Travel blogs are fine, but they are totally subjective, like ours, of course.
There are experienced travelers who still believe that by paying a few baht they are freeing a bird, there are popular forum moderators who question the fact that an elephant is not strong enough to carry chairs and tourists, and others who continue to take photos with animals without even knowing that they are contributing to illegal wildlife trafficking.
There are even those who, trying to justify their presence in such places, say that “the animals were well cared for,” but I come back to the same thing: why are they docile? What happens when the tourist is not around?
Do you really think that the owners of these tourist traps are going to mistreat the animal in front of us?
I’m not going to be the one to answer all of these questions, mainly because I haven’t been to or know all of the attractions with animals.
My purpose in this post is another: to make you question things and read before going to these places.
If you love animals, you will avoid some unpleasant surprises, and if you don’t love them, do it out of compassion.
There are many people who prefer to go and form their own ideas, and, when they leave and realize that it is all a business, they are left with a bad taste in their mouths, having contributed.
Let us remember that as long as there are people who go, these places will continue to exist.
I would like to suggest a few critical pages with animal shows/activities whose only interest is to ensure that their rights are respected, and where we can get information.
To read nice comments like “how cute the little elephants are” or “where is the best place to see tigers in Chiang Mai or Kanchanaburi” you can go to tripadvisor, the travelers forum and other blogs…
Responsible Tourism: This website of the FAADA Foundation contains comprehensive and valuable information in Spanish about tourism and animals.
Here you can learn about the cruel reality behind activities that use all kinds of species: bears, dolphins, parrots, elephants, tigers… and you can also keep up to date by reading the articles on their blog.
Responsible Wildlife Tourist Guide: We are glad that the media with the most impact are beginning to give the issue the importance it deserves.
According to this article in El País, “Interaction with endangered species can contribute to their mistreatment. Or just the opposite. Different experts analyze controversial cases from Asia to give clues to travelers.”
Travel4wildlife: Hal and Cristina have two passions, travel and wildlife, and in their Responsible Travel section they collect a series of very interesting articles that promote conservation through responsible tourism. They talk about safaris, volunteering, elephants, turtles, dolphins and even how to collect shells ethically.
Without a doubt, my favorite is “How Photography and blogging can promote wildlife conservation”.
Wildlife friends foundation: Discover four false myths about “tourist schemes” that take advantage of wildlife.
Sanctuary federation: A global federation with a list of sanctuaries in North America and Africa.
Viajeros reverdes: Sandra talks to us on her blog about responsible tourism with animals, throwing out a few questions that everyone should ask themselves when they travel, and tries to make us reflect through them.
Animals and Animal Abuse: a Thai disease? An article by Luis, author of the blog Bangkok bizarro, who, despite claiming not to be a great animal lover, uses common sense and invites us to reflect.
Are You a ResponsibleTourist with Animals? Gabriela and Camilo write in Plan B Viajero, and practice responsible tourism. Through their article, they invite us to learn what is behind certain tourist activities that use animals.
To the people who ask me about the tiger centers in Thailand: I have NOT been there and I do not plan to go, because I have a very clear opinion about them.
There are many people who go and have a great time (yes, and there are also those who enjoy bullfighting, dog fighting or cockfighting… because they have no empathy and are not capable of seeing suffering when it is not their own), and others who leave these centers very sad.
I find it funnier when selfish people try to justify themselves with “it’s the only way to stay in touch with them” despite not being happy.
The one I like the most is the one that says “without these centers, tigers would have become extinct”, but just a quick look at the websites of these centers is enough to realize that the only thing that matters to them is business: there you can find all the prices depending on what size animal you want to take a photo with.
In no section will you find individual information about the tigers, or where they come from. To make matters worse, the Tiger Temple offers, for 1000 baht more, an elephant ride… (I won’t comment on that).
For me, it is not an ethical option to enter a cage to take a photo with a wild animal that lives in captivity and also has to put up with dozens of people taking photos with them every day, with the stress that this entails for the tigers.
Are you really only worried about whether they are drugged or not? Honestly, I don’t think that is the biggest problem with these places… If you are thinking about going to one of these places, I only ask that you read at least the first articles I linked, then decide:
As I wrote in the blog, elephants, although they may seem very strong, can only easily carry 100 kg on their backs. The chairs used for rides weigh 50 kg, plus the weight of two tourists, so it is already over the limit. In addition, the domestication process is extremely cruel. If you are against animal abuse, do not ride an elephant.
There are several websites where you can find information about where to see elephants or where to find recommendations about real sanctuaries.
Elephant sanctuaries have also become controversial. On the one hand, since awareness of animal welfare has increased, many centers have jumped on the bandwagon, calling themselves “sanctuaries” and often keeping the animals in improvable conditions.
On the other hand, there are still too many animals in captivity today that cannot be reintroduced into their habitat (because of their age, they have no teeth, they are blind, or because they are sick). Animals that were once used for logging and when it was banned were left without work. For this reason, unfortunately, sanctuaries (the real ones) are still necessary.
It is up to us to inform ourselves and find a place where the conditions for the animals are good, they are not forced to work, they spend as little time chained as possible and contact with tourists is minimal (hopefully one day non-existent).
One of the activities that has become very popular in countries like South Africa is bottle-feeding cubs or walking with lions. Did you know that these activities are directly related to canned hunting?
Most of these animals will end up being hunted in one of the cruelest activities with animals.
Resist the temptation: there is no need whatsoever to play with big cats cubs: There is no need to play with tiger cubs as the IFAW article tells us that “Your participation in the ‘experience’ actually only feeds the lucrative business that requires the continued breeding of tigers to produce a steady stream of cubs that will inevitably pass the ‘cute and cuddly’ phase and within a few weeks will be sacrificed, sold or discarded at some sanctuary.”
What you need to know about playing with lion cubs: Lions are no exception to the photo trend. Find out what happens to the cubs used for this purpose in this short but clear post from lionrescue.org
Why petting cubs leads to abuse: A good handful of reasons not to take photos with big cat cubs: these animals are separated from their mothers prematurely, they are deprived of their natural behavior and they are mistreated.
And, most importantly, remember that the money you pay to have these photos taken is NOT going to be invested in conserving wild animals in the wild.
Desert excursions where you can sleep under the stars usually include a camel ride. Make sure your pleasant ride doesn’t turn into hell for them, and keep in mind some tips given to us by responsible tourism.
Gibbons and tourism in Thailand, the reality they never tell you: After fifteen days in a wildlife recovery center in Thailand, if there is one thing that was very clear to me, it is that you should not take photos with wild animals in exchange for money, because of everything that this implies.
Exploring the seabed is a fascinating activity, and for many it is also a disturbing one. The simple act of putting on diving goggles and looking at what is under the water reveals a whole new world of colors and unknown forms of life.
However, over time I have realized that many of us still do not know what the basic rules are for diving in a way that is respectful of the environment and animals.
If you want to read more about tourism and animals, don’t miss the new section of the blog in which Eugenio Fernández writes about how to act when travelers and wildlife cross paths. Wild context: understanding so as not to harm or be deceived.
For those of you who are clear about it and know that there is nothing like admiring wildlife in the wild, we leave here a list of places where we have managed to see extraordinary animals in their habitat. Of course, luck is an element here, but there is nothing more exciting than entering the home of a tiger or a lion and observing their natural behavior.
And of course, if you see any unethical behavior by employees (getting too close, disturbing the animals, feeding the wildlife, driving dangerously fast…) please let us know!
If you come across a case of animal abuse while traveling, speak up for them: Report it, write about your case in a forum, comment on this article, or write a placard, whatever makes you the angriest, but help the rest of us to be COMMITTED TOURISTS.
Conclusion? Before going to a center where animals are the protagonists: GET INFORMED and don’t get a surprise!
* Stereotypy: Constant and automatic repetition of movements or vocalizations without a specific purpose. They appear in animals in captivity and especially in those that live in small spaces that do not allow them to develop their natural behavior.
Animals that suffer from them can even self-harm, and they are considered a sign of psychological stress. They are related to animal welfare standards and can be avoided through environmental enrichment.
As an example close to home, the rhinoceros at the Valencia Bioparc lived for many years in a small space and developed the stereotype of walking in circles. In the video you can see how the animal went around so many times that it ended up marking its path on the ground.
** Environmental enrichment: Process by which animals are stimulated through a series of activities that simulate behaviors similar to those they would perform naturally in the wild.
These activities are intended to improve their quality of life both physically and emotionally, as they exercise and prevent the appearance of stereotypes.
