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Sustainability December 13, 2018
Learn about the TRUTH that the wildlife tourism industry does NOT want you to know.
According to World Animal Protection (WAP), over 110 million people visit wildlife tourist attractions (WTAs) every year. That is a lot of people who want to see some beautiful animals, but who could blame them? Animals are awesome, and riding on an elephant’s back is fun!
Well, only in theory. The animal cruelty happening behind the scenes is absolutely staggering. Using research from the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, World Animal Protection believes WTAs inflict “global suffering” on 550 thousand animals.
After seeing celebrity selfies with tigers, sloths and koalas, it’s hard to resist wanting an animal pic of your own. But before you book a hotel next to an elephant “reserve” or dolphin “sanctuary,” make sure you understand what goes on after the camera turns off.
The capture of elephants originates in trauma. According to WAP, “elephants are taken from their mothers as babies” and placed in isolation.
In 2014, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority “reportedly captured several dozen baby elephants for export to zoos in China and possibly the Middle East.” National Geographic states that Zimbabwe “acknowledged launching an effort to sell [these] young elephants to foreign buyers.”
In 2017, The Guardian published footage of another young elephant capture conducted by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. This video, along with the legality of elephant hunts across different areas of the African continent, prove that the global trade of wild animals had continued. It also confirmed the physically abusive treatment of the baby elephants, who they were dragged, confined and kicked.
We do not know if the family of these elephants were killed throughout this process. If they were not, then “the entire family” likely suffered from trauma and grief.
This process sounds needlessly brutal, but it’s generally easier to tame baby animals than mature animals. It makes sense why traders would avoid larger elephants and steal their smaller, less dangerous children.
Evidence shows that elephants remember their dead, so it is likely that these baby elephants will remember these horrors for the rest of their lives.
The way the WTA industry tames baby elephants is almost worse than the way traders capture them.
If you’ve ever seen an elephant in a tourism attraction, you might have wondered how a gigantic animal became so docile. They were likely beaten. Through the “crush” ritual, handlers whip, poke and harm the baby to “varying forms and degrees of cruelty.” As reported by National Geographic in 2002, one elephant in particular was stabbed with nails.
This cruelty forces the animal into obedience. Their future lies in giving rides to the same species that abused it.
But what about sanctuaries? If I ride an elephant there, aren’t I saving the species?
Unfortunately not. A truly reputable sanctuary does not allow any human-animal contact. If this contact is allowed, the sanctuary’s actions are more closely aligned with WTAs, and the unfortunate truth is that all WTAs are all inevitably cruel.
Despite an operator’s good intentions, the WPA states that “regular close or direct contact with tourists can negatively impact breeding or feeding” and make it nearly impossible to reintroduce the animal back into the wild.
These pseudo-reserves also contribute to profound ecological damage. Traffic and construction can disrupt the movement and connectivity of wildlife. The facilities exacerbate land degradation, resource depletion and habitat loss.
Ecosystems are intricate, so any unregulated disturbance will alter the balance, which could lead to irreversible damage. For example, if wildlife reserves do not expand habitats as necessary, the animals’ reproductive future is drastically affected.
If you really want to see animals in person, try searching for an ethical sanctuary or safari that do not allow humans to touch or approach an animal. But at the end of the day, sometimes these ethical sanctuaries still do not preserve species as well as they could. When reserves buy elephants, they continue to provide a market for traders, “lining [their] pockets” and “enabling them to buy more elephants.”
Preservation is most successful if you let wild animals flourish in the wild. These places are called private or protected nature reserves, where no human activity is allowed in order for ecosystems to thrive and continue growing naturally.
There’s a reason you’ve always heard “lone wolf” and never “lone elephant.” Wild elephants live together with their large families. They have natural social structures that are completely disrupted by the WTA industry.
These animals are very empathetic and cognitively complex, and they deserve to exist in their natural environment. Here are some facts about elephants that emphasize their life in the wild and will make you love them even more than you already do.
Most of us have heard or seen “Blackfish,” the documentary detailing the plight of Seaworld’s captive killer whale, Tilikum. It’s unlikely that anyone could watch it and still plan on visiting SeaWorld again.
Another notable documentary is “The Cove,” which spreads awareness about the insidious industry of dolphin slaughter in Japan. Although swimming with dolphins may make you feel like a mermaid (or merman), the dolphins don’t feel the same. These swim-with-the-dolphin (SWTD) programs can seriously harm these intelligent creatures.
No, kissing a dolphin doesn’t actually kill it, but the space surrounding it can!
Dolphins, like other aquatic animals, need plenty of space to roam, feed and play. According to PETA, an average dolphin swims up to 60 miles per day. There is no man-made water reservoir that can accomodate enough space suitable for that behavior.
Many dolphins that end up in parks were captured inhumanely rather than rescued. After picking the best from the pack, the rest are judged as inadequate and consequently killed or sold as meat.
Like elephants, dolphin babies can be snatched away from their mothers. This video, filmed by Liz Carter, appears to show Taiji divers stealing a young dolphin away from the others. Carter comments on the experience with emotion, realizing that the dolphin assumed to be the baby’s “mother… [is] trying to follow it.”
In the wild, mothers care for their newborn for several years throughout their child’s development. When baby dolphins are robbed of this time and kept in chemical-rich confinements, their proper development could be severely damaged.
In fact, one former dolphin trainer interviewed by The Dodo noticed a dolphin mother committing infanticide. He assumed that she did not want her baby captured by humans. The assumption has not been tested, but the possibility is still horrifying.
According to a report conducted by the Humane Society of the United States as well as the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), captive marine mammals suffer from the following ailments due to confinement:
Dolphins aren’t the only sea life hurt from these WTAs. The capture of these animals, as well as other tourism activities, usually include boats or big engines that disturb marine ecosystems.
“The exhaust fumes from most internal combustion engine powered boats are pumped directly into the water rather than the air,” which increase water pollution and introduce toxic gases.
The SWTD industry also doesn’t want you to know that captive dolphins can actually give humans diseases, too. Viral and bacterial illnesses, like salmonella, can move between the two species.
Like the public, celebrities are mostly unaware of the atrocities in the WTA industry. But while they may be as unsuspecting as the next tourist, a celebrity’s ignorance has a much wider impact.
According to WAP, famous personalities cumulatively have the “potential to generate one billion views” on their photos. And while they may grin, the animals certainly aren’t.
For example, many people have the misconception that sloths always smile. However, they appear this way due to their facial coloring, and this appearance gives no indication of their “level of anxiety, stress and pain.”
Although no studies have confirmed photography’s effects on animals, research funded by WAP notes that there have been cases which imply photos can “cause stress” to the animals. And as mentioned previously, human contact harms an animal’s biological instincts and consequently makes it more difficult to release them back into the wild.
Is it the celebrity or tourist’s intentions to perpetrate animal cruelty? Of course not. But they are still unaware, and this lack of awareness continues to create harm for these animals.
So if you see a celebrity or friend who posts a picture with a wild animal, make sure to comment or DM with helpful, informative and compassionate words of wisdom. Let them know how they can help. Remember that these people do not want to hurt animals and will most likely feel guilty after you properly inform them.
Don’t shame them for their past, but help them live a better future!
Despite all this gruesome information, there is some good news about swimming with dolphins, riding elephants and other WTAs.
On December 4, 2017, Instagram made a large step towards animal advocacy and WTA prevention. The app announced that it had added a pop-up message for users.
“When a person searches for a hashtag associated with harmful behavior to animals or the environment, they will see a content advisory screen. Animal abuse and the sale of endangered animals or their parts are not allowed on Instagram.”
Examples of hashtags include #slothselfie, #tigerselfie and #koalaselfie. Although you can still proceed and view the photos, the pop-up spreads awareness and sparks conversation. As one of the largest industries associated with selfies, Instagram’s influence will certainly reach the heart of the wildlife selfie issue.
Celebrities Are Using Their Platform to Spread Awareness
Awareness about the reality of WTAs is spreading. Although some celebrities continue to take selfies, others have taken a stance against the industry! Angelina Jolie, Ricky Gervais, Yao Ming, Jon Stewart, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ian Somerhalder all use their platforms to raise awareness. Most of their campaigns revolve around ending animal captivity, anti-poaching and banning ivory.
Katie Cleary, president and founder of non-profit organization Peace 4 Animals, releases wildlife news through World Animal News (WAN). If you’d like to stay up to date, follow WAN on Instagram (@worldanimalnews).
DiCaprio donates generously to his own Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which has a specific branch dedicated to Wildlife & Landscape protection projects. Some of the projects include:
Major News Sites Are Spreading Awareness
Across the last few years, particularly in 2017, major news outlets have been releasing more and more articles about the cruelty of WTAs. For example, publications like The Dodo, USA Today, The Atlantic, VICE News, CNN Travel, BBC News and Teen Vogue have all done pieces focusing on the cruelty of elephant tourism.
The previously mentioned documentaries “Blackfish” and “The Cove” have also greatly contributed to international attention. While Taiji dolphin hunters continue to hunt, some have taken action. Melissa Cronin analyzed “The Cove’s” impact for the Motherboard publication, taking into consideration the activist impact on global organizations. For example, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums suspended the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums due to their involvement in the dolphin hunts.
Along with photography applications, news outlets and celebrities, travel itself has made changes to promote animal rights. Discussed in 2017 and officially released earlier this year, TripAdvisor announced that “animal shows and performances where animals are forced to perform demeaning tricks or unnatural behaviors [are] to be banned from sale on TripAdvisor.” This ban strikes the source of the cruelty by disallowing ticket sales in the first place.
Since millions of people use TripAdvisor to plan their trips, the exclusion of these attractions from the site will prevent hordes of people from booking WTAs.
There are a couple ways you can contribute to animal protection.
If you are planning a trip and want to see some beautiful animals, check out World Animal Protection’s tips on ensuring that your trip is not only memorable but also ethical.
You can also donate to any organization mentioned above, including World Animal Protection, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and Peace 4 Animals.
And the most important thing you can do is spread the information! You’re already helping by staying aware. Spark a conversation online, watch “The Cove” with your friends and share news that expose animal cruelty.
Together, we can protect animals from a life of abuse for human entertainment.
