Wildlife. Not entertainers.

Want to see wildlife on holiday? You’re not alone.

But did you know that wild animals around the world are facing a lifetime of suffering, just to entertain tourists?

If you can hug, ride, touch or take a photo with a wild animal, the chances are it has suffered some kind of cruelty.

The reality of wildlife tourism

For captive big cats, their exploitation starts from a young age with early removal from their mothers. In the wild, tiger cubs stay with their mothers until they are about 2 years old. However, tiger cubs grow up quickly and a full-grown tiger can weigh over 300 kg.

For a venue owner, this creates two problems. Firstly the need for more cubs – they are undeniably cute and are a huge draw for visitors so a breeding programme is needed for an ongoing supply and so begins a horrific never-ending cycle for the sole purpose of keeping the tourist activities going. 

The second problem for the venue owner is that you end up with a lot of adult big cats, all with big appetites which makes their upkeep expensive. Some of them can be used as photo props which is another way to bring in tourists’ money. Adult tigers are usually chained, sometimes drugged, to reduce the threat to the visitor.

It is not always clear what happens to the ‘surplus’ cubs that cannot be used for breeding or photo props when they are fully grown though it is clear that the captive breeding of tigers in this way serves no conservation purpose. In fact, it has been linked to the illegal trade in tiger products, sustaining a demand for products that continues poaching pressure on wild tigers, as well.
 

Still need more convincing? Recently released undercover footage has exposed the hidden reality of the physical and psychological trauma that elephants are put through for tourist entertainment – a lifetime of horror for a ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday experience. 

Warning: Distressing content 

The video makes for very difficult viewing. It includes eight young elephants being: 

• forcibly taken from their mothers
• tied to wooden structures while beaten repeatedly
• walking hobbled in chains

Another contributing factor is the rising number of tourists who want to take selfies with fascinating animals.

Most tourists who take photos with wildlife love animals. During once-in-a-lifetime trips, it’s understandable they’d want to take a snap with a sloth for Facebook, or post a picture with a pink river dolphin on Instagram. 

Many people offering wildlife selfies in the Amazon search treetops for sloths to steal, as one example. These typically calm, gentle animals are snatched from their natural habitats, forced to live in noisy, chaotic environments, and repeatedly passed around from tourist to tourist.  

But if they knew about the suffering these animals endure for this type of photo opportunity, they’d put their phones and cameras away.   

Amongst the 34 billion images posted by 700 million people on Instagram, our initial investigation shows there are tens of thousands of selfies taken with wild animals. These photos capture a moment of shareable joy for people, but for many of them, the animals’ stress and suffering is left out of the frame.  

Don’t be part of this ugly picture: make sure your wildlife selfies are cruelty-free. 

We are urgently calling for a complete overhaul of the way captive animals are treated as tourism gradually resumes following its collapse during COVID-19. You can be a part of this change and join our movement by signing up to our pledge to be a responsible tourist.

Changing the world, together

Petitions take just seconds to support and can be incredibly powerful. In 2007, over 240,000 supporters worldwide signed our Wildlife Selfie Code. Our campaign also inspired Instagram to take action to raise awareness of the suffering of wild animals caught in the entertainment industry.

In 2016, 558,000 supporters signed our petition asking TripAdvisor to stop selling tickets to cruel wildlife attractions. They listened. They have stopped selling tickets to some of the world’s cruellest tourist activities, and their website now hosts a new education portal, that will educate millions of tourists about the cruelties imposed upon wild animals by exploitative attractions. 

Our beliefs

Here at World Animal Protection, we believe that animals in the wild should have the right to a wild life, and be protected from commercial exploitation and safeguarded from the governments and businesses that profit from animal cruelty.

We are working tirelessly to raise awareness of the deceptive tactics and activities of organisations that profit from the commercial exploitation of wild animals.

Together we can drive down consumer demand and expose the lies of businesses that profit from cruelty.

The commercial exploitation of wildlife must end. Forever. No excuses.