Responsible wildlife tourism is at the heart of everything Compassionate Travels does. But what is it?
It’s tourism focused on experiencing wildlife in a way that respects the rights, freedoms, and preferences of the animals involved.
It means appreciating wildlife in their natural habitats, without harassing, exploiting, or harming them. It can also mean visiting high-quality animal sanctuaries to support the care of animals who, for whatever reason, cannot be returned to the wild.
Okay, I’m on board. So what’s the problem?
Unfortunately for animals, many humans have difficulty clearly identifying behaviors that harass, exploit, or harm, and there are countless facilities using the label of “sanctuary” when they offer no such benefits to the animals in their care.
To add to the confusion, the people selling unethical encounters will have a laundry list of explanations for why the thing they want you to do is not only not bad, but is actually beneficial to the individual animal or supports greater initiatives, like conservation or repopulation efforts.
Don’t fall for it!
We want to trust people, to learn from and respect the citizens of the places we visit, and experience cultures unlike our own. But people who exploit animals know that caring, animal-loving travelers would be horrified to learn the truth about what’s going on behind the scenes, so they are well-practiced in responding with lies and convincing arguments to allay the concerns of potential customers.
What can I do?
So what can you do to ensure you aren’t accidentally harming or exploiting animals in your travels? Do you have to just avoid all wildlife and resign yourself to a life devoid of animal-based thrills? No, of course not.
There are many ways to experience wildlife responsibly. It all comes down to doing your research, knowing what standards to look for and how to assess whether they are being met, and analyzing this information in an objective way.
Understanding the Situation
One of the most important aspects of responsible wildlife tourism is assessing a situation – a tour offering, a facility, an opportunity you are being offered – from the animals’ perspective, rather than your own.
One important reality is that wild animals are not as excited about us as we are about them. I know, that one hurts.
This, of course, varies from species to species and between individual animals, but in general, wild animals view humans as a threat (and, unfortunately, too many of us are).
Some animals may flee if we get too close, but even those who appear to be comfortable with our presence may experience physical symptoms like increased heart rate or stress hormones. The vigilance of keeping an eye on nearby humans may also alter the natural behaviors the animal would have been otherwise engaged in, having additional downstream effects.
Another important reality is that humans can misread animal characteristics or behaviors because we have an (understandable, but dangerous) tendency to read in “human terms.” We then may think we know how an animal is feeling, assess a situation as safe or consensual, and inadvertently cause harm.
For example, many of us see dolphins as happy animals who are always smiling. They aren’t. Unfortunately for them, that’s just how their face is built. Unlike humans, dolphins can’t move their mouths into different shapes to convey different feelings.
Similarly, many photos and videos of captive primates (particularly chimpanzees) feature animals who appear to be smiling, laughing, and having a great time. For humans, moving our moth into this shape, where our lips are pulled back to show our teeth, is an indicator of happiness and joy. But for chimps, this expression is called a “fear grimace” and is used when they are afraid, anxious, or uncertain.
As responsible humans, we need to be able to look past the characteristic that 1) is most familiar to us and 2) that confirms our bias of wanting animals to love us, so that we can understand the reality of their situation.
The Red Flags
It can be difficult to see through the misleading promotions, welfare-washing, and outright lies to find ethical wildlife experiences. There are, however, some very clear red flags that can help responsible travelers avoid animal exploitation.
Do not participate if any of the below are present:
🚩 If you can touch, feed, or ride an animal, especially if this is a central, advertised offering
🚩 If animals are performing unnatural behaviors (e.g. playing soccer, dancing, sitting or standing in a way you would not see in the wild, or wearing clothes)
🚩 If the animals’ movement is severely restricted, whether by chaining, tethering, or confinement to a small enclosure
🚩 If the animals are not being kept in species-appropriate social groups (e.g. a single elephant or a single monkey)
🚩 If animals are being chased (e.g. boats chasing down whales or safari vehicles racing after animals so tourists can get a better look)
🚩 If the facility engages in breeding
🚩 If stimuli are used to elicit a certain behavior from animals (e.g. baiting with food or using calls, sounds, or harassment to spark a response)
In addition to avoiding these specific activities and tours, it’s also important to avoid using exploitative tour operators at all, even without participating in the harmful parts.
As travelers, we are constantly telling the world what we want more of based on how and where we spend our money. By giving money to unethical tour operators, we are validating their business practice and not giving them any reason to change or improve. On the flip side, rewarding ethical companies shows the whole industry that there is a demand for these high standards, and a financial incentive for more companies to follow in those kinder footsteps.
Signs of an Ethical Company
If a tour operator has high animal welfare standards, they will be proud of them and happy to share more details. Here are some positive signs to look for:
💚 If the company has a published animal welfare policy or statement on their website
💚 If the company has worked with or is endorsed by nonprofit organizations focused on protecting wildlife, such as World Animal Protection
💚 If the company highlights their responsible practices and provides an explanation as to why they are important
How can Compassionate Travels help?
At Compassionate Travels, our expertise is connecting values-driven travelers with responsible wildlife experiences.
We’ve done the research and asked the hard questions. Now we can pass that experience on to you.
Whether you are a seasoned traveler or a first-time adventurer, we can save you the time and stress that goes into researching a trip and help you plan a custom itinerary that will provide a lifetime of magical memories.
So why not start planning your next wildlife adventure today? We’d love to hear from you!
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