THE SIMPLEST WAY TO HELP WILD ANIMALS WHILE TRAVELING?

 

DON’T PAY FOR THE PHOTO.

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A wildlife selfie may last only a few seconds, but the industry behind it can subject animals to years of confinement, repeated handling and the loss of nearly every meaningful choice.

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In a new Humane World for Animals blog, president and CEO Kitty Block urges travelers to avoid attractions that use wild animals as props for photographs, petting, swimming, bathing or other close-contact experiences.

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These encounters are often promoted as harmless fun—or even as education and conservation. But the animals may have been separated from their mothers, socially isolated, restrained or conditioned through fear and deprivation to tolerate contact with paying visitors.

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The problem extends well beyond a handful of roadside attractions. Humane World reports that more than 300 facilities in the United States offer close encounters with animals such as sloths, primates, otters, capybaras, kangaroos and wallabies. Similar exploitation appears internationally in wildlife cafés, elephant attractions and facilities presenting themselves as sanctuaries or rescue centers.

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There is also a public-safety concern. Stressed wild animals can bite or scratch, and close contact can expose both animals and people to disease. Children may be especially vulnerable—and may leave believing that wild animals naturally belong in our arms, homes or vacation photographs.

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Social media helps perpetuate the cycle. Every like, share and smiling photograph can normalize the use of wild animals as entertainment and provide free advertising for the businesses profiting from them.

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But travelers are not powerless.

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We can refuse to visit attractions that offer direct contact with wild animals. We can explain our decision to friends and family. We can avoid liking or sharing wildlife-handling photographs—and report content depicting mistreatment.

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The most humane wildlife experience is one that respects the animal’s space, natural behavior and freedom from forced interaction.

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Wild animals do not exist to become vacation props.

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Read the complete Humane World for Animals blog:

 

KeepingWildlifeWild.org

Evidence • Education • Accountability