What comes to mind when you think of animal tourism? Zoos? Horseback rides in the mountains? African safaris? Whale watching tours? Certainly all these things are important and popular animal tourism activities…but animals fill a lot more roles in the tourism industry than most people think…and each role comes with its own unique welfare considerations.
Attraction
When most people think about ‘animal tourism,’ they think about an activity in which the animal is the main attraction. In these roles, the animals themselves are one of the main focuses. Animal tourism activities that feature animals as attractions include experiences such as zoos, aquariums, safaris, marine mammal tours, dog sledding, horse back riding, dog/horse/livestock shows, horse/dog racing, cub petting, hunting/fishing, etc. This category also includes animals functioning as actors or performers (or even props, in the case of photos) such as in circuses, magic shows, horse circuses, photo opportunities, street performances, etc.
Animal welfare can be difficult to define, but in general the term encompasses an animal’s physical wellbeing, their mental wellbeing, and their ability to live a natural life. (Check out this blog post on defining animal welfare!) When animals are highlighted as the feature attraction, we have to consider how that role impacts their welfare. Does it impact their physical health? Does the activity (or training to do the activity) cause fear, pain, or distress in the animal? Are they still able to do the things that they would do naturally?
The answers to these questions can and will change depending on the activity and the specific situation. But they are important to consider as a responsible tourist. The answers can help you determine whether an activity is one you want to participate in or not.
Consider cub petting. To obtain cubs for cub petting, babies are removed from their mother’s side often within hours of birth. They are then raised on formula and expected to interact with humans and pose for photos for a large portion of their day. Contrast this to a normal cub’s experience–where they would spend much of their early days sleeping and eating alongside their littermates…and would stay with their mother for years learning how to hunt and survive. Early weaning causes significant distress to cubs (and their mother). Being raised on formula can lead to future health problems including nutritional deficiencies and weakened immune systems. Long sessions of handling are stressful and interfere with a cub’s natural behaviors for that age (of sleeping, eating, and playing with littermates). (For more information on cub petting, check out this blog post.)
Zoos are another great example. High quality zoos provide appropriate housing and diet, have veterinarians on staff to provide medical care, take precautions to minimize visitor impact on the animals, and actively provide enrichment opportunities. These zoos put forth incredible effort to ensure that their animals live a good, quality life despite being in captivity. Whereas there are also poor quality facilities, where animals may not receive even the very basics they need to live a healthy, let alone relatively natural, life. (For more information on identifying a quality zoo, check out this blog post.)
Labor
Another very common role for animals in the tourism industry is one that is also relatively hidden to many tourists. This is as labor. Animals playing a labor role in tourism include cart horses and donkeys pulling wagons or carriages full of tourists, pack horses or donkeys carrying supplies or luggage, sled dogs transporting supplies, working dogs sniffing out contraband at airports, etc.
In these situations, it’s important to consider not only the basic welfare of the animals involved, but also working conditions…and the welfare of the people involved as well. Animal welfare often parallels human welfare! (For tips on evaluating equine welfare as a tourist, check out this blog post.)
Food source
Tourists need to be fed. And, while the percentage of vegan and vegetarian individuals is increasing, the majority of travellers eat meat. Which means that animals will be needed as a food source. This does not just include the animals most people traditionally think of as food animals–such as cattle, pigs, and poultry. Tourists increasingly desire unique experiences…which includes eating unique meats. Such as bear, alligator, caribou, and even illegal bushmeats.
When animals are utilized as a food source in the tourism industry, tourists need to consider not only the welfare of the animals while they’re being raised…but also the manner of the animals’ death…and what impact the production/consumption of those animals has on the local ecosystem.
Incidental
What about all the animals that you don’t see on your travels that are impacted by tourism? Animals incidentally affected by the tourism industry include situations such as culling of street dogs in tourist areas, destruction of habitats by hotel and restaurant development, extermination of pests, netting of swimming beaches to keep out sharks and other creatures, cosmetic removal of debris (seaweed, leaf litter, etc.) which animals in the environment rely on, etc.
Guest
With more people travelling with their pets, animals are more commonly becoming guests in the tourism industry. Hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions are increasingly having to figure out how to provide a quality experience to both people and their pets.
