Make your holiday animal-friendly
Jul 12, 2010
© iStockphoto.com/Valeria Titova
If you're planning a holiday, make sure that you take your animal-friendly values with you when you travel. From circuses and roadside animal exhibits, to elephant rides and exotic foods, there are plenty of ways in which the tourist industry takes advantage of people's interest in animals to make money at the expense of animal welfare.
Sadly, animal-loving tourists who pay for personal encounters perpetrate the suffering of animals who may have been working for hours with little access to shelter, food or water. The best way to keep your trip animal-friendly is to stay informed and alert to the welfare of the animals you encounter on your travels.
Wherever you're going this year, here are our top ten tips for a compassionate vacation.
Top ten tips for the compassionate traveller
1) Avoid roadside zoos, animal exhibits and petting zoos, and circuses and theme parks that use animals.
Whether in Canada or abroad, captive animals may be suffering from poor nutrition and health, and high stress levels and psychological trauma caused by close confinement, inadequate living conditions, and cruel training methods.
2) Don't visit aquariums and marine parks that hold marine mammals such as whales and dolphins.
In the wild, dolphins and whales naturally cover vast distances. The tanks they live in in captivity – designed to give audiences a good view – can never be sufficient for them to display natural behaviour. The belief that a smiling dolphin is a happy one contributes to the myth that dolphins in theme parks enjoy a happy life. A dolphin "smile" is deceptive – dolphins cannot actually move their facial muscles. Dolphins and whales are often captured from the wild, and are forced to undergo abnormal behaviour training for the entertainment of humans.
Download our Dolphin Encounters brochure (PDF) >>
3) Never attend festivals or events that use animals.
Culture and tradition are not excuses for cruelty. Festivals and events such as bullfights, bull runs and rodeos are responsible for the deaths and maiming of thousands of animals each year.
4) Don't ride a wild animal, such as an elephant.
Animals like elephants are often captured from the wild, inadequately cared for and usually trained using inappropriate and cruel methods. If you want to see wild animals, take a responsibly-run safari instead.
5) Avoid riding on a horse, donkey or camel if you have any concerns about the animal's welfare.
Many animals used to transport tourists are forced to work long hours without access to shelter, food or water, and may suffer from heat stress, lameness and injuries caused by collisions with traffic or from ill-fitting or badly-designed harnesses.
How to be a responsible rider >>
6) Be careful when buying souvenirs
Many souvenirs are made from protected species of native wildlife, and buying them undermines the conservation efforts of local governments. Avoid bringing home any products made from skins, leathers, fur, feathers, horn, claws, shells, corals, tortoiseshell, antlers or tusks.
Download our Tourism and Wildlife Trade brochure >>
7) Never have your photo taken with a captive wild animal
Animals such as monkeys have usually been poached from the wild and kept in inadequate conditions. They will often have had their teeth and claws removed and may be drugged to keep them calm.
8) Say no to eating exotic "delicacies" made from animals
Experiencing local culture does not have to include animal cruelty. Many species are being pushed towards exctinction by human consumption, and methods for catching and killing wildlife are often cruel. Avoid bushmeat from monkeys, elephants and antelope, meat from crocodiles, snakes, frogs and wild pigs, and don't eat whale meat, queen conch, turtles, sea cucumbers, shark fins, or turtle or birds' eggs.
9) Be aware of what's on your plate
Wherever you travel, watch out for foods made from farm animals who have been subjected to abnormally cruel treatment, such as foie gras. It's a good idea to check up on the animal welfare legislation and farming practices of the country you're visiting so that you can continue to make ethical food choices while travelling.
10) Respect wild animals and their environment.
Safaris and other animal-watching tours can be a great way to experience nature and see wild animals in their natural environments, but make sure you choose one with an animal-friendly code of ethics. Responsible tour guides will never entice animals to approach, or chase, block or crowd animals.
Guidelines for Safe and Responsible Wildlife Watching >>
Some compassionate travel Dos
© WSPA
1) Keep alert for any cases of animal abuse or mistreatment when you're on holiday, either in Canada or abroad.
If you do see animal cruelty, make a record of the time and date of the occurence. If it's safe to do so, take photographic or video evidence. You can protest to your travel agent, tour operator, or hotel manager, your local tourism office, or the country's ambassador in your country of residence. Make it clear to them that you will not financially support events or practices that cause cruelty to animals. You can also report the incident to local police, or a local animal welfare society.
Guidelines on reporting animal cruelty >>
2) Support local animal shelters, welfare organizations and sanctuaries
In many countries, you may see stray animals, particularly cats and dogs, who are suffering from injury, hunger or disease. Animal-loving travellers are often heartbroken by seeing so many animals in need of help. The best way you can help stray animals like these is by contacting a local animal rescue organization or shelter and making a donation, or asking if there are any other ways you can help out.
3) Consider taking a holiday where you can help animals.
On a volunteer vacation, you could do anything from protecting sea turtle nests to feeding injured wildlife in Namibia. Many companies now offer these types of holidays, which can last anything from a few days to a few months.
4) Spread the word!
Educate your friends, family, and fellow travellers on how to be a compassionate traveller by sharing these tips.
Read animal travel stories on WSPA's Compassionate Travel blog >>
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