It’s been just over a month since TripAdvisor banned ticket sales to attractions that allow
contact with wild animals, and we thought it was about time that we put our two cents in.
A lot of people don’t realize the harm that this kind of tourism has. It’s obvious that travelers who go see wildlife attractions clearly love animals and want to see them live good lives. What the popularity of these attractions shows us is that the cruel practices and exploitation that occurs has not been made obvious to many.
This is because they have often been packaged and sold as a beneficial experience for everyone! Travelers are often falsely led to believe that these animals are happy and well looked after. By banning tickets for these attractions, TripAdvisor is helping to shine the spotlight on the negative effects of these activities.
Of course, captivity is often required for conservation and rehabilitation purposes. The problem arises when these terms are used to sell attractions that do not in any capacity help to protect animal species.
World Animal Protection has compiled a list of ten of the world’s cruelest wildlife attractions which are:
- riding elephants,
- taking tiger selfies,
- walking with lions,
- visiting bear parks,
- holding sea turtles,
- performing dolphins,
- dancing monkeys,
- touring civet cat coffee plantations,
- charming snakes and kissing cobras, and
- farming crocodiles.
Shadows of Africa values the well-being of all animals. This is why we promote visits to genuine wildlife sanctuaries and do wildlife safaris in their natural habitats. We promote and undertake safari’s that provide the least possible disturbance to the animals as possible through the adherence to park rules as well as common sense in respecting the animals that we encounter.
