What exactly do we mean when we talk about animal welfare?
As more and more tourists desire contact with animals during their travels, animal tourism is a rapidly growing sector of the industry. Unfortunately, increased management and contact with humans can threaten animals’ well-being. But what should you do if you come across an animal tourism activity that endangers animals’ welfare? Raise the red flag!
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.
Whale watching consistently ranks as one of the most popular animal tourism activities. Follow these tips to help ensure you’re making responsible choices when deciding on a whale watching tour!
Encountering animals on your travels can be a fun and exciting experience! But, as a responsible tourist, it’s our responsibility to consider the impact of the experience on the animals as well. Here are a few common tourist experiences that you should consider avoiding.
As a horse lover, it’s natural to want to seek out and experience horses around the world when you travel. But part of being a responsible traveller means taking care to support only those operations that prioritize the health and wellbeing of their animals. So how can you evaluate an equine’s welfare as a tourist?
There’s not much cuter than a lion or tiger cub! Unfortunately, a lot of tourist experiences take advantage of this vulnerable stage of development and offer cub petting or photo experiences. Even worse, unsuspecting tourists are actually often participating in larger breeding and hunting schemes without their knowledge. Read on to learn the truth about cub petting!
It’s easy for well-meaning tourists to hear the word ‘sanctuary’ and assume that they’re supporting a legitimate operation that prioritizes animal welfare. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
Zoos have been around for a really long time. However, this arrangement hasn’t always worked out so well for the animals. Recently there has been an increasing amount of controversy over the existence of zoos and the role they play in our modern society.
Should you feel guilty about taking a picture with a sloth? Is going for a horseback ride along the beach a bad thing? The answer is ‘maybe.’ The truth is that animal tourism can be greatly beneficial for the animals involved, but it can also be just as detrimental.