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Koalas captive for visitor cuddles

Right now, captive wild animals are being exploited for our entertainment. Will you be an Animal Friendly Traveller to protect them?

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  2. Wild animals belong in the wild
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Wild animals belong in the wild

Across the world, wild animals are captured, taken from their natural habitats or bred in captivity, and suffer a lifetime of cruelty and abuse. 

Whether it is watching tigers perform in shows, taking selfies with koalas, swimming with dolphins or riding elephants, these activities can cause lifelong physical and psychological suffering for wild animals.

Why? People love to see animals when they are on holiday. And because demand for animals in the entertainment industry is so high, these animals continue to be used and abused for profit in ever increasing numbers.

Travel companies around the world profit from some of the cruellest types of wildlife tourist attractions on earth.

But we can work together to educate ourselves and others to make animal friendly choices when we are on holiday to reduce demand for animal entertainment.

The wildlife entertainment industry is animal cruelty masquerading as innocent family fun, with unsuspecting visitors fuelling demand for close wild animal encounters.

Seeing a captive wild animal in an unnatural setting, forced to behave in an unnatural way, simply paints an unnatural picture of wild animals and their natural behaviour for visitors. So see wild animals in the wild where they belong. 

We want wild animals to live a wild life, where they can thrive. And, together, we can end wild animal exploitation for commercial gain. 

Wild animals belong in the wild

Right now, animals are being exploited for our entertainment.

You can protect these animals by reducing the demand for animals in entertainment in the countries where you holiday.

In 2015, we partnered with Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU)  and analysed 24 different types of wildlife attractions across the world. These were rated them based on welfare and conservation criteria. 
We used this information and combined it with our own research to identify 10 of the world’s cruellest types of attractions including;

  • Riding elephants
  • Taking tiger selfies
  • Walking with lions
  • Holding sea turtles
  • Performing dolphins

You can protect these animals by reducing the demand for animal in entertainment in the countries where you holiday. By working together we can educate ourselves and others to make animal friendly choices when we are on holiday to reduce demand for animal entertainment – pledge your support today.

Together we can stop the demand and end the cruelty.

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World Animal Protection Limited (formerly WSPA New Zealand Incorporated). Registered charity CC53491.