Traveller demand keeps animals in captivity

BALI is a popular travel destination, with more than a million Australian tourists visiting the island last year. But far from being an island paradise, a recent report paints a bleak picture of the conditions for captive wild animals. Elephant rides, dolphin swims, orangutan selfies and other attractions, such as circus-style shows, are increasingly popular tourist activities for many travellers to the island.

All tourism entertainment venues with captive elephants, tigers, dolphins or civet cats in #Bali, fail to meet the basic needs of wild animals in captivity, according to a new investigation undertaken by World Animal Protection. The Wildlife Abusement Parks report presents the results of an investigation into 26 wildlife tourism venues in Bali, Lombok and Gili Trawangan, housing 1,500 wild animals including elephants, dolphins and orangutans.
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Thailand’s tiger tourism condemned

A REPORT has exposed what it calls the ‘true scale of abuse’ in #Thailand's #tiger #tourism industry.

The study by World Animal Protection revealed that despite recent negative media coverage, tiger tourism is a growing industry in Thailand. There are 33% more captive tigers in the country now than there were five years ago, with 830 tigers currently being kept at entertainment venues compared to 623 in 2010.

The report also found evidence of captive tigers being mistreated as part of the process designed to make them submissive enough to entertain tourists.

The main welfare concerns highlighted by investigators at Thai tourist venues were tiger cubs being are separated from their mothers just weeks after birth; young cubs being viewed and handled hundreds of times a day; tigers being punished ‘using pain and fear’ to prevent aggressive behaviour; and tigers being housed in small cages or enclosures with limited access to fresh water. More than one in 10 of the tigers observed by investigators showed signs of behavioural problems, such as repetitive pacing and biting their tales.

Says Julie Middelkoop of World Animal Protection: ‘We're asking tourists to think about the welfare of the tigers, and we're calling on the travel industry to stop promoting and profiting from tiger cruelty. If you can get up close, hug, or have a selfie with a tiger, it's cruel … don't go.’

Of the 17 major Thai tiger entertainment venues investigated, Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Pattaya was found to have the highest number of tigers in captivity. It also had some of the poorest conditions, with at least one tiger so thin that its hips and ribs were visible.

As well as urging travellers not to visit tiger attractions, World Animal Protection is calling for travel companies – including TripAdvisor – to stop promoting venues, and on governments to investigate tiger attractions and close down those that show evidence of cruelty.

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Travel companies back end to elephant abuse

A CAMPAIGN by international animal charity World Animal Protection (WAP) to end the abuse of elephants in the tourism industry has secured the help of more than 100 travel companies. 

In total, 114 global companies have agreed with WAP that elephant rides and shows are cruel and should end. The travel companies, include TUI Benelux, Thomas Cook Northern Europe, and Intrepid Travel Group.

‘Leading travel brands see the value of animal protection,’ says executive director at WAP Canada, Josey Kitson. ‘Many of the companies we've engaged with in Canada such as G Adventures, The Travel Corporation, and World Expeditions, as well as those globally, including Intrepid Travel, have welcomed the opportunity to stand with us to protect wildlife.’

Despite this large number, there are still travel companies yet to commit to ending elephant rides and other cruel elephant entertainment. In order to make elephants submit to rides and other human interactions, they are taken from their mothers as babies and forced through a training practice known as 'the crush'. This process involves physical restraints, severe pain, and the withholding of food and water. By the time tourists come to ride an elephant, its spirit has been broken.

When not performing or used for rides, most elephants are kept chained and isolated from each other.

‘World Animal Protection wants to see this cruelty stop,’ Ms Kitson adds, ‘and tourists can help by avoiding animal attractions while on vacation and encouraging more companies to join our movement.’

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Explore axes elephant rides from adventure itineraries

ADVENTURE travel company Explore has removed elephant riding from all of its itineraries. The decision was made after discussions with experts including the Born Free Foundation and the Mahouts* Elephant Foundation. 

Elephants are not domesticated and in captivity they have been 'broken' or trained to behave in a certain way. Elephant rides cause damage and deformities to their spines and the activity encourages illegal elephant poaching of young elephants being taken from their mothers. Poor treatment of elephants is often due to a lack of knowledge and education in the communities that own the animals.

John Telfer, product director at Explore says: ‘We have spent time deliberating the matter and given a lot of thought to the consequences for the local communities and people who make their living by offering elephant rides. For this reason we shall work with Mahouts Elephant Foundation in 2016 to support their work in educating local people on how to offer alternative experiences to travellers, such as elephant walking safaris in the wild. We will also continue to look at ways in which we can safely take our customers to see these creatures in their natural environment.”

Sarah Blaine from Mahouts Elephant Foundation commented: ‘We're delighted to be working with Explore to help them move forward with how their guests inter-act with elephants. Our philosophy of working collaboratively with mahouts and their communities to ensure all parties' benefit is unique. We have a clear understanding and appreciation that the elephant's welfare is dependent on their mahouts and their living conditions. This approach ensures that livelihoods are protected.’

*An elephant rider, trainer, or keeper

www.explore.co.uk

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Tourism … and animal cruelty

An elephant used in the tourism industry in Thailand.
(Credit: PRNewsFoto/World Animal Protection).

A STUDY by the University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit has found that three out of four wildlife tourist attractions involve some form of animal abuse or conservation concerns.

World Animal Protection (WAP), which commissioned the global research, believes that at least 550,000 wild animals are suffering at the hands of irresponsible tourist attractions around the world.

WAP has compiled a list of the ten cruelest wildlife entertainment activities:

• 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 
• Farming crocodiles 

The organization estimates that approximately 110 million people visit cruel wildlife tourist attractions each year, unaware of the animal abuse involved. Abuses include very young animals being taken from their mothers and beaten and harmed during training to ensure they are passive enough to give rides, perform tricks, or pose for vacation 'selfies' with tourists, with the worst venues including bear, elephant, and tiger parks.

Elizabeth Hogan, U.S. Wildlife campaign manager at World Animal Protection, said: ‘It's clear that thousands of tourists are visiting wildlife attractions, unaware of the abuse wild animals face behind the scenes.

‘We need to stop the demand for elephant rides and shows, as well as hugs and selfies with tigers and lions, by exposing the hidden suffering behind wildlife attractions. If you can ride, hug, or have a selfie with a wild animal, then you can be sure the attraction is cruel. Vote with your wallet and don't go.’

WAP has so far secured commitments from 87 travel companies to stop selling elephant rides and shows. TripAdvisor, says Ms Hogan, can also make a huge impact. ‘We're proposing ways it can inform tourists about the cruelty at most wildlife venues.’

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