Unethical wildlife tourism: what you need to know, and how to avoid it

Are you being tricked into supporting hidden wildlife cruelty? As people vie to grab the “cutest” photo for the ‘gram, more and more animals are being plucked from the wild, kept in horrendous conditions, and subjected to experiences that are terrifying, painful and dangerous for them.

Now more than ever, the desire for social media “likes” is driving the mass exploitation of thousands of species.

While many of us already know that places like circuses and zoos are cruel, there are many other activities involving animals that may not appeal overtly abusive – but actually are. Always ask yourself: why is this wild animal being used in this way? Does it appear afraid, angry, confused, shutdown or agitated? What conditions is it kept in when it isn’t working? Does it get fed, given water and shade, and ample time to rest? And, most importantly, should this wild animal be in this situation in the first place – and how did it get here?

Some tourist attractions will tell you that the animal was “rescued” – but rescued wild animals need expert rehabilitation and protection from humans, who are often the reason for their plight in the first place. True conservationists always put the welfare of their animals first, and usually, that means little to no human interaction.

So, are you unwittingly supporting the abuse of wild animals in the entertainment industry? Here are some of the cruellest and most unethical wildlife attractions around the world.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Riding animals

Elephants, camels, equines and giant tortoises are just some of the animals offered for fun tourist rides.

Most of these animals never evolved to carry humans. Moreover, many are worked for long hours, in debilitating heat, and given neither food nor water. They are not adequately housed, fed, treated for injuries, or rested.

Elephants, for example, may be forced to carry up to six tourists at a time, all wedged into a wooden seat that grinds painfully into the animals’ back, leaving permanent scars and severe physical damage. Pai Lin, an elephant in Thailand, is an example of one such elephant who was likely exposed to such abuse.

Owners may hit, kick or beat the animals into submission, and will often work the animal until it quite literally keels over from pain or exhaustion, or dies on the spot. Some animals, like Pai Lin, are forced into this brutally painful labor for decades on end.

The bottom line: if you want to take a joyride, pick something that doesn’t involve an animal. From antique cars to bicycles, paddle boats, kayaks and more, there are so many options that do not involve animals.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Holding koalas

Over the years, countless celebrities and tourists have been snapped cuddling koalas in Australia, but the practice is coming to an end.

Studies show that koalas – solitary animals – experience stress when in the presence of people and that being touched, held and passed around causes them significant distress. Moreover, as koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day, which means that hours of photo ops are disrupting their natural rhythms. And of course, these are wild animals. They should never be interacted with unless for genuine conservation reasons.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Selfies with wild animals

Think about it: you’re cuddling a cute wild animal. Perhaps it’s a baby sloth or a lion cub. How adorable! But, wait: where did the animal come from? Why is it not with its mother? And what will happen to it when it’s no longer an adorable baby? Having become habituated to humans, it will never be able to return to the wild. Where will it end up? Likely in a zoo or other captive facility, spending the rest of its life caged. 

According to World Animal Protection, “Captive animals are kept for photo props until they can no longer be used. Highly sensitive baby sloths used for selfies in the Amazon usually die after around 6 months due to stress and ill health, whereas in the wild they can live up to 30 years.” 

Your cute photo is a lifetime of suffering for that animal. Stop taking selfies with wild animals.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Dolphin shows and swimming with dolphins

When they’re not working, dolphins used for entertainment are usually kept in small, confined tanks with little space to swim or explore. This can cause them anxiety and stress, which may lead to aggression. This is hardly surprising, since for us, it would be like living in a prison cell! Moreover, the tricks they are forced to perform can cause severe injuries to their bodies. It is a tragic, solitary life for animals who thrive in pods, with ample space to swim and explore.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Walking with lions

What an amazing opportunity – walking alongside the king of the jungle! Your friends are sure to be impressed… or are they? 

Walking with lions is a prime example of hidden wildlife cruelty, and here’s why. A lion that has been trained to trust humans has had all of its natural instincts suppressed, and will never be able to live in the wild. Considering that a captive lion can live up to 25 years, you can imagine how much it costs to feed, care for and keep the animal. Now is the time to start asking questions…

When they’re not out and about walking with tourists, the lions are usually kept in terrible, cramped conditions and relentlessly bred so their cubs – stolen from them right after birth – can continue the cycle of habituation. 

As babies, the cubs are used for photos, and they are often raised by naïve volunteers who are trained to habituate them by bottle-feeding them, cuddling and sleeping with them.

As adults, lions are used in walking tours, and when they are no longer suitable for this, they do not retire to a nice little farm in the countryside. Remember – lions are expensive to keep. Instead, they are usually sold to hunters to be killed as trophies, and once they are killed, their bones are shipped to Asia for the lucrative lion-bone industry. 

So… do you still want to go on that “Instagrammable” walk?

Unethical wildlife tourism

Interacting or posing with big cats

Now that you understand what happens to captive lions, you’ll quickly see why interacting or posing with them is so unethical. Apart from everything you’ve read above, those kept for photo opportunities are often drugged, chained and beaten into submission.

They live horrendous lives of suffering, simply feeding the captive big-cat industry, and every time you take a photo with a cute cub or striking tiger, you are supporting some of the worst cruelty in our world today.

We have helped rescue countless big cats from this brutal industry – like tigers and leopards in Thailand, a captive leopard in South Africa, and two tiny lion cubs rescued in the Middle East.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Civet coffee plantation tours

How novel – coffee made from the beans of coffee cherries that have been eaten and excreted by Asian palm civets!

Even if your stomach doesn’t turn at the thought, it should when you hear about the horrendous conditions in which the civets are kept.                   

These small, nocturnal mammals, native to Asia and Africa, have similar features to racoons and cats, but are neither. They are more closely related to mongooses. While tour guides may tell you that the excreted berries are found in the wild, you can be certain this isn’t true. Instead, the animals are stolen from their natural habitats and kept captive in filthy, cramped, cruel conditions on farms. According to a report by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, “PETA investigators visited civet farms in Bali and found deplorable conditions at every one.”

Unethical wildlife tourism

Holding sea turtles

Another species relentlessly captured from the wild and forced to endure cramped tanks and terrifying human encounters are sea turtles. Their inappropriate enclosures cause them stress, sickness and aggression – and in fighting with each other, they sustain injuries. Inbreeding among overcrowded turtle populations at some farms has resulted in many turtles being born disabled.

These marine reptiles are solitary, migratory creatures who are genetically programmed to swim long distances. Keeping them crowded in captivity is cruel, unnatural and deeply distressing. Add to this the chaos and confusion of being cuddled by tourists, and it’s easy to understand why this practice is torture for turtles.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Feeding pigs in the Bahamas

Picture this: happy wild pigs frolicking on their very own, uninhabited tropical island in the Bahamas, seemingly living the dream. Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? It also sounds… too good to be true…

… because it is.

Thousands of tourists began flocking to “Pig Beach” – so named for the feral pigs who live there –  located in the Exuma district of the Bahamas. The photo ops were just too good to resist. But what may once have been a paradise for these piggies has turned into a nightmare.

To keep the pigs “tame”, more aggressive members of the colony are routinely killed by local people and eaten. The pigs’ only source of food is from neighboring islands and tourists, and some have died as a result of eating toxic substances, including alcohol fed to them by tourists. And, because they spend so much time interacting with visitors (and not enough time covered in sand or in the shade), they end up with painful sunburn and damage to their sensitive skin.

Pig Beach is a prime example of animals being exploited for social media “clout”, and really, there’s nothing cool about that.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Dancing monkeys

Performing monkeys are subjected to horrific abuse and often, the cruelty is quite obvious – like when they are beaten for not performing to their owners’ satisfaction.

What is less obvious is the abject cruelty of their “training.” To learn to walk on their back legs, their hands are bound and chains are tied around their necks to hold them upright. This way, if they try to sit down or bend, they will suffocate to death.

They are forced to perform for hours without food, water or rest. When they’re not “on stage”, they are usually kept in abhorrent conditions where many die as a result of the abuse they endure. Some live with chains permanently around their necks, which eventually grow into their skin and necks.

Those who survive are ultimately sold for their meat or left to die when they are too old to perform.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Reptile shows

Many of the reptiles you see crammed into plastic boxes at shows originated from creatures stolen from the wild, all over the world, and trafficked in inhumane conditions to their final destination.

Those that survive are condemned to lives of captivity and captive breeding, usually in wholly inappropriate enclosures and conditions. Visitors are shown only the healthiest animals and at some shows, are even encouraged to purchase them.

But reptiles, like every other wild animal, require the right habitat, diet and conditions in which to survive. These animals have been snatched from the wild and sentenced to life behind bars for human profit and entertainment.

Unethical wildlife tourism

Always ask yourself questions before participating in live animal activities

If you think it may be cruel, it probably is. Just because you can find it listed on popular review websites doesn’t mean it’s okay. Being forced to interact with humans is often terrifying and traumatizing for wild animals, and the conditions in which they are kept are usually inadequate at best, and most likely abusive.

If you care about animals, love them enough to leave them in the wild. Don’t support exploitative and cruel wildlife attractions.

Lastly, there are of course ethical wildlife experiences you can enjoy – read about them here.