Animal-friendly travel tips
When winter winds blow in Canada, many of us think about taking a vacation somewhere warm, where we can dig our toes in the sand.
However, many of those vacation offerings often include tours that give an opportunity to interact with wild animals.
World Animal Protection says if you can ride, hug, or have a selfie with the wild animal, the chances are it’s a cruel venue. Don’t go.
They say that while seeing exotic animals when you’re travelling can be an exciting experience, please be cautious not to support attractions that exploit wild animals for tourist entertainment.
They offer the following tips:
- DON’T take selfies with wild animals. DO take lots of photos of wildlife from a respectful distance.
- DON’T watch wild animals perform tricks. DO see humans perform tricks in animal-free circuses.
- DON’T ride an elephant. DO observe elephants at a sanctuary, on a web cam or in the wild.
- DON’T swim with dolphins. DO see dolphins in the wild with a responsible tour operator.
- DON’T hold wild animals. DO watch them behaving naturally in the wild or in a sanctuary.
How do you know if an attraction or activity can harm an animal?
World Animal Protection uses the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare as our test to see if an animal’s basic needs are being met:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease
- Freedom to express normal behaviour
- Freedom from fear and distress
Join the movement to protect wild animals:
Be an animal-friendly tourist when you travel. You can protect these animals by reducing the demand for wild animals in entertainment in the countries where you are on holiday.
By working together, we can help end the suffering of wild animals in the name of tourist entertainment for good.