Animal Exploitation In The Tourism Industry
As summer holidays approach and plans are set in motion, it’s only natural for animal lovers to be concerned about witnessing animal abuse during their travels.
In many destinations, the tourism industry has historically involved animal mistreatment as a form of entertainment. To ensure a cruelty-free holiday, it’s important to research and choose ethical wildlife experiences.
By making informed choices, we can enjoy our holidays without compromising our values and contribute to more humane tourism practices.
Credit Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals
Swimming with dolphins is a popular activity among holidaymakers who are willing to spend a significant amount of money for the experience.
This activity proves to be highly lucrative for the owners of the establishments where dolphins are held. However, it is incredibly cruel.
Dolphins are captured from the wild in frightening circumstances, forcibly separated from their pods, and confined to small pools.
These conditions are far from their natural habitat, causing immense stress and suffering for these intelligent and social creatures.
Credit Adam Boswell / We Animals
Another popular activity we see among holidaymakers is engaging with elephants by riding them, washing them, or feeding them.
The tourists have a great time with what they see as a wild animal, with no idea of the suffering that led to their experience.
Elephants are separated from their families while young, and making them docile and compliant to their master is achieved brutally.
They are chained at the legs and tied to a post. They are beaten and learn that if they do not do exactly what they are told, it will result in pain. Punishment is delivered with the use of a bull hook, a horrible weapon with a very sharp point at the end.
Credit Ana Norman/We Animals
The allure of capturing a perfect moment with a baby ion or tiger might seem irresistible, yet the reality behind these photo opportunities is far from charming.
These animals endure significant suffering to create those picturesque moments.
Cubs are cruelly separated from their mothers shortly after birth, and in a bid to maintain their small size for extended profitability, their handlers dilute their formula. This practice leads to serious health issues, including metabolic bone disease.
As these cubs grow, they face a grim future—either warehoused and killed for their bones or sold into canned hunting markets.
The adult big cats live in unsuitable, confined spaces, deprived of the vast territories they would naturally roam in the wild.
To keep them manageable, these majestic animals are often heavily sedated, and their claws and teeth are removed, stripping them of their natural defences & causing them chronic pain.
Credit Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals
Animals often endure exploitation through being made to appear cute and performing certain actions.
Small monkey species, like capuchins, are kept on chains, dressed up, and trained to dance or solicit money.
These unfortunate creatures suffer from the deprivation of natural behaviours, endure cramped and squalid living conditions, and are subjected to harsh training methods.
Walking with lions is an activity that is deeply exploitative and cruel.
Young cubs are torn away from their mothers at an early age, subjected to various forms of suffering that accompany such separation.
These lions are confined to cages that offer minimal to no enrichment, significantly impacting their well-being.
In many cases, they may even be declawed and defanged to make them more manageable.
While younger lions are predominantly used due to the perception that they are easier to handle, adult lions are also part of these activities.
It is important to remember that lions, by their nature, cannot be tamed, and walking alongside them poses a significant danger.
Participants in these walks are often equipped with sticks to ward off lions that come too close, highlighting the inherent risks involved.
Credit Deniz Kapkan Cengiz/We Animals
Kopi luwak, a unique coffee made from beans excreted by Indonesian palm civets, has gained a reputation for being one of the most expensive coffees in the world. This high cost is largely due to the difficulty of sourcing these beans from the wild.
However, the growing demand for kopi luwak has led to the rise of civet battery farming, where these animals are caught in the wild & kept in deplorable conditions.
Confined to small, filthy cages without any form of enrichment or the ability to climb, the wellbeing of these civets is severely compromised.
Despite this, tours are offered where people can pay to learn about this rare and unusual beverage.
Unfortunately, these tours often gloss over or completely omit the harsh realities of the suffering endured by the civets in captivity by those who farm them.
Credit Arianna Fracon/We Animals
In recent years, buffalo farm tours have emerged as popular tourism experiences.
However, troubling reports have surfaced about the conditions on some of these farms, particularly those where buffalos are primarily kept for mozzarella production.
Many animals suffer from untreated injuries and live in filthy environments, confined to small pens with no chance to cool off in pools, as they would in their natural habitat. Their hooves often remain horribly overgrown, reflecting the neglect they endure.
The treatment of calves on these farms is equally distressing.
Male calves, deemed useless to the industry, are disposed of.
Meanwhile, female calves, destined to produce more milk for the farm, are separated from their mothers.
Heartbreakingly, they might only be a few feet away, separated by a fence, able to see their mothers but unable to reach them.
The mothers themselves are subjected to being milked up to four times a day by machines, highlighting the relentless cycle of exploitation in this industry.
Credit Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals
As an ethical traveller, it’s important to prioritize the well-being of wildlife by avoiding activities that require close contact with animals that should remain in their natural habitats.
Avoid visiting zoos, aquariums, or parks that exploit animals for entertainment.
If you choose to visit a sanctuary, ensure it is truly committed to conservation and not a business exploiting animals under the guise of sanctuary.
If you encounter any concerning practices, document them on a travel website and inform the travel operator of your dissatisfaction.
Leaving a detailed review can help raise awareness, as many people rely on these reviews to inform their travel choices and will appreciate your honest account.