Travellers tips for animal friendly holidays

When on holiday it’s important to consider the welfare of the animals and wildlife in the host country. Our friends at Born Free , an international wildlife charity working to prevent animal suffering and protect wildlife in the wild, have helped us to compile this list of tips to help you have an animal friendly holiday.

• Do not feed wild animals
• Do not touch wild animals
• Do not tease or provoke animals
• Try not to make loud noises when close to animals
• Do not support the use of animals as photographic props i.e. do not have your photograph taken with an animal used specifically for this purpose (lion and tiger cubs, chimps, snakes and exotic birds). Many of these animals are drugged when photographed and then killed once they become too large to handle.
• Do not support dancing bears. Removed from the wild when young, teeth and claws are removed, and their noses pierced with a ring or rope inserted for control. Training involves standing on a hot metal plate, while music is played. The bear then associates the music with the pain and 'dances' to avoid it.
• Do not visit any circus that has animals.
• Avoid staying at hotels and eating at restaurants that display captive wild animals.
• If the attraction allows controlled feeding/handling of animals ensure that your tour operator and the attraction makes you aware of the risks.
  
  These include:
  
  • Potential disease transmission between animals and humans (and vice versa) - you should ensure you wash your hands with hot water and soap both before and after any contact to minimise this
  • Risk of injury
  • Potential stress to animals
    
    
• Do not interact in any way with dangerous wild animals (e.g. lions, tigers, chimpanzees, gorillas, etc.) as wild animals are unpredictable and you will place yourself at great risk
• Do not purchase souvenirs that are made out of wildlife products or other threatened natural materials.

Specific to captive facilities

• Please do not swim with captive dolphins. Although they may appear 'happy', captive dolphins suffer physically and psychologically. Injuries to humans are common and disease transmission is a risk.
• Do not support animal performances where animals are trained to perform tasks that that have no basis in their natural behaviour.
• Ask your tour operator/the attraction if any animals kept have been taken from the wild, as this places additional pressure on wild species
• Ask your tour operator/the attraction if there is an active education programme at the attraction, as responsible attractions provide this
• Ask your tour operator/the attraction if the attraction contributes to the conservation of animals in the wild, as responsible attractions take this seriously
  
  

Specific to animals in the wild

• Do not encourage guides to move so close to wildlife that your presence disturbs it or interferes with its natural behaviour
• Do not encourage guides to pursue wildlife that is showing avoidance tactics e.g. displaying threatening/alarmed behaviour or is moving away
• Do not encourage guides to drive off-road in protected areas when this is prohibited in the protected area
• Speak quietly and do not make any sudden movements when close to wildlife so as not to alarm it
• When viewing primates (monkeys, gorillas, etc.) do not approach closer than 5 meters to help prevent the transmission of disease between humans and wildlife (and vice versa)
• Do not approach breeding sites (nests, burrows, dens, etc.) as this can affect the breeding success of wildlife
• Try to avoid the use of flash photography to take photos of wildlife can alarm it leading to increased aggression
• For marine wildlife, when contact with animals is permitted and controlled e.g. in swim-with dolphin experiences, do not approach the animals but allow them instead to approach you if they so choose
• If you are able, put something back into the conservation of the area/wildlife you have visited by making a personal contribution to support conservation in the area

Did you experience bad practice during a wildlife safari or viewing excursion? Are you concerned about a dancing bear you’ve seen, or animals in a side show or used as a photographic prop?

Born Free wants to hear from you. You can report it online here or call their new Travellers' Alert Hotline on 0845 003 5960 night or day. Provide as much detail as possible and your report could make a real difference to an animal in need. Video footage is particularly useful!

For more information check out Born Free's Animal Alerts here or here.
For further information about the global work of the Born Free Foundation visit  www.bornfree.org.uk

For more information about animal welfare issues in tourism, check out our animal welfare section here