Stopping animal cruelty at tourist attractions - what not to do
- The wildlife director of World Animal Protection puts it: ‘If you can ride it, hug it or have a selfie with a wild animal, then you can be sure it is cruel’
- From donkeys carrying tourists up punishing hills on Santorini to camels bleeding in their harnesses in Giza, tourist traps are hotbeds of animal exploitation
Last week, the New Zealand government banned tourists from swimming with bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands. The decision was based on research by the department of conservation that showed human interaction was “having a significant impact on the population’s resting and feeding behaviour”. The number of bottlenose dolphins in the bay has plummeted from 270 in 1999 to 31, according to The New Zealand Herald newspaper.
By some estimates, as many as 550,000 wild animals are suffering around the world for the entertainment of tourists. Lobbying to improve welfare standards comes in the form of petitions, boycotts, bans and legislation. And it’s not just animal rights organisations that are applying pressure and highlighting bad practice; travel companies and tourists are increasingly distancing themselves from cruel behaviour.
It’s a complicated situation. Most holidaymakers are unaware of the abuse inflicted on performing animals (one study suggests that 80 per cent of TripAdvisor comments left for venues that treat wild animals cruelly are positive). Conversely, many owners and handlers adore their animals and would be horrified if they were accused of mistreatment. But it’s also fair to say that profits perpetuate inhumane activities, from snake charming to making monkeys and bears dance.
Rather than a blanket boycott, some think the answer lies in cajoling owners into better behaviour by emphasising the financial incentives of treating their animals with dignity. Others believe we should skip staged interactions entirely. As Kate Nustedt, wildlife director of non-profit organisation World Animal Protection (WAP) puts it: “If you can ride it, hug it or have a selfie with a wild animal, then you can be sure it is cruel. Vote with your feet and don’t go.”
Dolphins
The capturing of wild dolphins or breeding them at animal theme parks polarises opinion. Advocacy groups say the mammals spend their lives in spaces that are much too small and swim in chlorinated water that causes skin and eye irritations.