We Travel Animal Friendly- You Should Too!

Today, we have collaborated with Animals Different and Equal (aka Animals DAE) to bring you our reasons why we and YOU should always travel animal friendly.

Paulinna, Founder of Animals DAE

Why do I find it important to travel animal friendly? Because animals are people too.

That’s right – just like humans, animals experience physical and emotional pain. They get anxious around unfamiliar environments and people, they become exhausted and hurt whilst training and performing for humans – a lot more truths like these are invisible to us as many lack a better understanding of them.

Animals are different and fascinating, and people travel around the world to see different animals because we love them. Unfortunately, this fascination about animals has driven an exponential growth in animals in entertainment. While some companies understand to treat animals with respect and appropriate care, many rush to cater to the booming number of tourists, disregarding the well-being of many of these animals.

In order to stop such mistreatment and disrespect, it is crucial that as tourists or visitors, we do not give reason for unethical companies to continue their dirty work. Instead, we need to work together to look out for signs of animal mistreatment, and appropriately choose ethically operating businesses for the sake of our animals.

We love seeing animals and observing their natural and very different lifestyles to ours – but there is nothing natural about animal abuse and mistreatment. Make informed decisions about your next visit to give our animals the same happiness they are giving you.

Emily, Founder of By Their Side 

Me and my new mate at Elephant Nature Park.

I think you’ve heard a lot from me these past 8 weeks so I’ll keep it short and simple! Being animal friendly when you travel means you always show respect – for the people, the culture, the environment and the animals, in every country you visit! It is so important to attend places that put animal welfare first. These kinds of places can allow visitors to interact with different animals in meaningful ways, including feeding, bathing and walking with them — without supporting their gross exploitation.

Washing the big friendly giants in the river at Elephant Nature Park.

After spending two days at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, I caught a unique glimpse into the world of elephants. I was thrilled to finally experience it. Places such as these teach you the value of conservation- a reminder that we share our earth with others. You leave instilled with deep respect and compassion not just for elephants but all non-human creatures that belong in the wild.

Are YOU dedicated to travelling animal friendly? Have we convinced you to do so? Let us know what you think! Comment below or catch us on Facebook!

Also, make sure you check out the AWESOME work of Animals DAE on their WordPress, Facebook and Twitter pages.

– EB

 

Part 1: Before you go….

 

Source: Getty Images

This week we will be bringing you a three part series of how to travel animal friendly before, during and after your fantastic summer holiday! You can protect animals on your holidays simply by being informed and alert to the welfare of the animals you encounter. Make good decisions for animals before you travel by following these simple steps from World Animal Protection:

Do Your Research

This is the most important step of them all! Investigate the venues you intend to visit. If animal encounters are offered, how are the animals treated and where did they come from?

Ask Questions

Check if your tour operator or travel agent has an animal welfare policy. If you’re unsure of what travel agent you would like to help plan your holiday, check out one of our suggested Awesome Aussie Operators or go online to World Animal Protection’s site for animal friendly agencies.

You can also ask your friends and family about their experiences.

Make Positive Choices

Support tourism that does not exploit wild animals and consider the animal’s welfare as their highest priority. Such places include those featured in our previous blog and others such as:

• Indonesia-
  • Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation
  • Bali Animal Welfare Association Volunteer Clinics
  • Wildlife Rescue Centre in Java
• Thailand-
  • Elephant Nature Park
  • Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
  • Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary
  • Turtle Conservation with Responsible Travel
• Cambodia-
  • Phnom Tamao Wildlife Centre

 

Eat Ethically

When trying local exotic foods, ask or search online if the animal is rare or endangered. This is often illegal in most countries.

Think Before You Buy

Consider what may be a locally-produced animal souvenir may actually drive demand for the illegal trade in wildlife.

Think About Culture

Always be respectful when you travel, but remember that culture is not an excuse for cruelty.

Make sure to check in to our blog on Tuesday for our next instalment for what you can do to support animal rights DURING your holiday. In the meantime, let us know what you think via Facebook, Twitter or simply leave a comment below!

How will you prepare for your next trip overseas? Will you plan to travel animal friendly? Do you have recommendations of where travellers should go to help protect and support wildlife overseas, particularly in South-East Asia? 

EB

World Animal Day: Not Just For Our Love Of Animals

Official Poster for World Animal Day – Source: World Animal Day

World Animal Day is celebrated around the globe on the October 4 every year- but why?

For years, human beings have coexisted in nature with a variety of flora and fauna. During this time, animals have been subject to bad treatment by humankind. So bad that being “treated like an animal” has taken on an extremely negative connotation.

World Animal Day exists to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. This is further highlighted in their mission statement:

“Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals.  It’s celebrated in different ways in every country, irrespective of nationality, religion, faith or political ideology.  Through increased awareness and education we can create a world where animals are always recognised as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare.”

Why should we celebrate World Animal Day?

Because building the celebration of World Animal Day mobilises people to act NOW for a better life for animals.

As stressed by World Animal Day, the lives of animals are profoundly affected by the actions of individuals, businesses, and nations. Therefore, it is essential that their rightful status as recipients of social justice is established and translated into effective animal protection.

We want to make this world a fairer place for all animals. By raising awareness, we can help develop a compassionate culture where full regard is always paid to an animal’s welfare.

What’s unique about World Animal Day?

It is the one day of the year that embraces ALL animals and the different concerns of each, in every country.

By highlighting their importance in the world, the day unifies the animal welfare movement to drive global change.

How are By Their Side getting involved in World Animal Day?

For us, every day is World Animal Day!

We’re celebrating by addressing animal welfare standards and promoting animal friendly tourism among young Aussie tourists. You can check this out on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

You can get involved too!

Make sure to follow World Animal Day on Twitter and get involved in the conversation via the hashtag #WorldAnimalDay.

This is a fantastic way to show you care.

Animals Are Getting the Roar Deal

Animal welfare is often viewed as how an animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives. An animal is in a good state of welfare when it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express innate behaviour, and if it is not suffering from pain, fear, or distress.

According to Responsible Travel the most basic level of acceptable animal welfare standards is to meet the five freedoms. These freedoms are:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst
2. Freedom from discomfort
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour
5. Freedom from fear and distress

These freedoms consider more than the level of health of the animal by incorporating the physical (health, growth, reproduction) and psychological (how the animal perceives its environment and its emotional state) well-being of the animal.

In wildlife tourism, the most overlooked of these five freedoms is the freedom number four- the freedom to express normal behaviour. Some people argue that a creature is in good health when it is nourished and shows no signs of disease. But this does not mean that a captive animal is not being maltreated.

Not sure what cruelty can look like?  Well, wild animals should not be:

• Pacing, swaying or displaying stereotypical stress behaviour
• Trained to perform tricks, give massages or paint pictures
• Stroked, petted or in any way forced to interact with humans (in a way that they wouldn’t in the wild)
• Chained or tied other than for essential veterinary checks

Most people visit wildlife tourism attractions because they love wild animals and want an authentic wildlife experience. But do any of these sound authentic to you?

EB

Want to Ride an Elephant?

The demand for wildlife entertainment attractions has been growing globally. One of the main attractions in Thailand is seeing elephants up close and personal. This is rightly so- they’re amazing creatures! So, what’s the big deal about riding elephants in Thailand? Surely, it can’t be that bad right?

 

The video above is an animation made by World Animal Protection for their campaign ‘Wildlife. Not Entertainers‘. It shows the life of an elephant taken from the wild and forced into tourist entertainment. Sadly, this is the reality that over thousands of elephants worldwide have been subjected to.

The truth is, in order to train an elephant to interact with humans, they undergo physical and mental trauma. The century old tradition of domesticating elephants is called “Phajaan”. This dark and horrific ritual aims to break a baby elephant’s spirit until they fear their mahouts (elephant handlers) and become submissive to humans.

This happens all in the name of entertainment.

“But what about companies that offer ‘ethical’ elephant rides?”

Yes, they may not beat, hurt, or utilise prods such as bull hooks to keep their elephants in check.

Yes, riding an elephant bareback and on their neck is the least harmful way to ride an elephant.

But this doesn’t mean there is no potential for long-term harm.

So why risk the health of endangered animals when you can interact with them in other ways?

Pledge here to stand with World Animal Protection in asking the travel industry to end the exploitation of wildlife and promise to not visit attractions that use wild animals for entertainment.

EB

 

Back to the Basics: Facts about Wildlife Tourism

Source: Flickr

Today, we are answering what seem to be simple questions with not-so-simple answers. Prepare to be enlightened!

What is ‘wildlife tourism’?

In its simplest terms, wildlife tourism is based on encounters with non-domesticated (non-human) animals. These encounters can occur in either the animals’ natural environment or in captivity.

How big is this industry?

HUGE! Tourism is a major global driver. In 2013, the tourism industry was worth over a trillion US dollars, accounted for 9% of global GDP and provided 1 in 11 jobs worldwide. Attending wildlife tourist attractions is a prime tourist motivation, with wildlife tourism accounting for 20%-40% of international tourism globally. Wildlife tourism represents a significant proportion of a huge global market that is predicted to increase in the coming decades.

What is the problem?

The mistreatment of up to half a million animals in wildlife tourist attractions around the world is being subsidised by the tourists that visit them.

A study by Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit found that up to 4 million tourists are likely contributing to animal welfare abuses and conservation issues just by visiting these sites.

Why does the problem still exist?

There are an array of factors contributing to this problem- from a lack of global regulation regarding how animals are used in tourism to diverse cultural practices.

Our main focus is on traveller awareness.

As we know, improperly managed wildlife tourist attractions can have an array of negative impacts on both the conservation and welfare status of an animal. What we may not know is how to detect these impacts.

Oxford University assessed 188 different venues and 51, 308 reviews left on TripAdvisor, concluding that 80% of tourists cannot see the negative impact a WTA has on animal welfare.

Many holiday planners look online for advice from sites such as TripAdvisor as they are user-centric and communicate first-hand experiences independent of brand marketing. This, while beneficial for travellers, can also prove problematic.

If many don’t suggest better, how will we choose better?

Don’t worry! We promise its not all bad news. This is why our initiative exists- to provide you with the bad news along with the good.

Why fight against one thing when you can also stand for another?

 

EB