As animal lovers we love spending time with all creatures great and small right? But is best for the animals? I admit I would love to walk with the big cats and hold tiger cubs. Full disclosure, as a child I rode an elephant after the Barnum & Bailey Circus. I will never forget how itchy her hair was. I thought my mom was the best mom ever ( she was) for letting me do it. I swam with the dolphins in Cancun about 20 years ago. I rode camels and participated in any close encounter I could with animals. Last year, I participated in bathing elephants in Thailand. It looked ethical from my research, the elephants were free to roam the preserve, and they were never forced to do anything. If they didn’t want to participate they were free to walk away. We were told they were the boss. I loved it! But after leaving I has mixed feelings. I also have mixed feelings about zoos after going on safari and seeing animals in their natural habitat. But that is the subject of another post.
What has surprised me recently is how many animal lovers I have met have no issues with animal interactions. Is it willful blindness? Ignorance? or are they just straight up lied to. I believe that the people who visit really believe the lies they are told. Are there people who just don’t care ? I am sure they exist, but not one person I know who has done these encounters would ever willingly harm an animal. Why do these places exist? Money. It looks like South Africa is moving in the right direction though. I have attached a link to an article contains information about the new South African Tourism Services Association guidelines. Here is en excerpt:
The new guidelines contain strict disqualifying criteria for the following:
- Performing animals (all types of animals, including elephants, predators, primates, birds etc.)
- Tactile interactions with all infant wild animals
- Tactile interactions with predators or cetaceans (any interaction with land predators or aquatic mammals)
- Walking with predators or elephants
- Riding of animals (including elephants, ostriches etc.)
Also a couple of articles regarding wildlife tourism
https://www.traveller24.com/News/satsa-clarifies-its-guidelines-in-light-of-erroneous-wildlife-ban-reports-20200129-2
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/06/global-wildlife-tourism-social-media-causes-animal-suffering/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/10/wildlife-watch-amazon-ecotourism-animal-welfare/
https://www.capturedinafrica.com/responsible-tourism-part-1/
As we know better, we do better. Myself included.