Hi there my Hivean friends and followers!
When doing my curation job here on Hive, I sometimes stumble upon a great travel report from an interesting place with some nice photos and cool write up but then, as I keep reading, I spot it... A picture of the author of the post riding an elephant, posing with a tiger, watching an orca show in the Sea World...
I understand that people find this kind of interaction with animals attractive and cool but many of them simply don´t realize the grim background of these practices so let me dedicate this post to raising awareness about the issue of animal abuse in the tourism industry.
As shocking and heartbreaking as it sounds, a recent Oxford University study found out that globally, as many as 3 out of 4 tourist attractions featuring animals actually involve some kind of animal cruelty. That translates to hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of animal suffering just for the profit of their callous owners and for the joy of unaware or irresponsible tourists all over the world.
The range of the cruelty is really wide. From most of those riding attractions (elephants, donkeys, camels, ostriches) and animal circuses to posing with/holding wild (and otherwise dangerous) exotic animals like tigers, snakes, monkeys or crocodiles and watching shows where large marine mammals like dolphins, seals and orcas are kept in small concrete tanks and forced to perform tricks they would never do in their natural environment.
There have been countless cases of animals being crippled, injured and even dying right on the spot as the result of carrying heavy tourists (often in extreme heat), there have been well documented cases of captive dolphins trying to hurt themselves and even commit a suicide and I am sure it´s needless to speak about the "happiness" of wild animals kept in cages and trained to pose for photos...
I could have put dozens of disturbing actual photos illustrating these practices here but hopefully, it´s not necessary. Also, to be honest with you, such photos or videos make me super angry, sad and agitated and it often literally ruins the day for me so I am not going to do that here.
Let me put just one picture here that would also be the cover imagine for the post. It is a photo of a poor old elephant who collapsed and died after carrying tourists in Cambodia during some extreme heatwave last month.
The photos is from this article published on buzzworthy.com and I highly recommend reading the article to learn more about the issue of animal abuse in tourism.
Now let me wrap up this little rant with some personal advice. As a dedicated animal lover, I totally understand the desire to watch wild animals and maybe even interact with them somehow. But please, before you do that, make sure you are not supporting any type of business that involves animal abuse.
If you want to interact with elephants in Asia, go to one of those sanctuaries where they care for the animals with respect and love (they usually redeem abused elephants to let them spend at least the last years of their lives in freedom and well-being).
If you want to see dolphins and orcas, go for an excursion on the open sea where you can observe these magnificent creatures doing natural things in their natural environment.
If you want to pet a sloth, visit a rescue center were they care for injured and orphaned sloths until they are strong and independent enough to get back to the jungle.
I mean there is always a way to watch the animals or even interact with them without hurting them or without supporting a business that abuses them. It might not be the easiest, cheapest or most comfortable option but it is there and it´s only up to you what you choose...
Please, be responsible and respectful to animals. This planet belongs to them just as it does to us.
This post was created by me for the Hive blockchain exclusively. All rights reserved.
What a good article my friend... It's very important to know about this kind of topics, nowadays you can see a lot of cruelty towards animal life. Personally, when I see some news about an attack by an animal on a person, I am shocked, that is a consequence of all the evil that human beings have done to animal life for pure leisure, fun and money. These are unforgivable things which at some point take their toll.
A clear example of the violation of the rights to animal life, is what is being seen here in Venezuela, the great majority of the zoos that are found here do not have sufficient supplies to maintain the animals that are found there :( They only let them die, nobody does anything for them.
What is seen worldwide about animal abuse is very unfortunate, the human being will someday understand that above there is a God who observes below and that everything bad is returned someday. What humanity is experiencing right now is not pure coincidence ... Thank you for this good review friend, grateful to read this good article, hopefully more people like you to join this type of issue.
Thanks for your feedback my friend. Some very true, yet painful words here... I cannot even imagine what´s happening in zoos and other similar facilities in your country where people are suffering so much now :( Wild animals belong in the wild, not in cages...
Rather thank you for providing this type of content, whenever I can support commenting. And so it is friend, wild animals exist on the planet to be free, not to be locked in a cage.
Definitely in the human being must become aware of everything that accontence right now.
Well said my friend.
We need more of this kind of post❣️
I am never into shaming but into spreading awareness. Often times greediness and innocence are our enemy.
Thank you :) Well, greed is definitely a factor in this cruel industry... Thanks for raising awareness.
Something people never want to acknowledge, perhaps being in lockdown now they might start understanding the plight of animals being confined to small places, not living in their country, climate being gawked at daily.
Animals like the Elephant cannot take the weight of humans without spinal damagee. Recently a local dolphin died everyone was sending condolences, poor girl lived in captivity her whole life and never new what it was like to swim in the ocean.
Yes time is right to set them free, only place them into specialized areas to save species from disappearing completely in regions they normally live, not for public viewing!
@tipu curate
Thank you so much for this great feedback. I can only agree with everything you just wrote. And good point that many people probably just don´t want to see the dreadful reality behind these attractions... This ignorance must come to an end.
Hi man well written!
Just the right thing to open your eyes. Most of us probably been to that kind of facilities in the past, but I am sure your post will distract at least some of us from visiting places which are animal - unfriendly and easy to recognize. Sometimes it is hard to say what is good and what's not...
Once again, great post and thank you for sharing!
Hey Andy, thanks for your feedback :) You are right, many of us supported something like this in the past unknowingly. Like I already told you under one of your posts, I visited a facility similar to Sea World too, years ago... I am not angry at those who don´t realize, I was actually also one of them... But that´s why I am trying to raise awareness about this thing. I want people to know what they are actually supporting by paying for the above mentioned attractions. Then, it´s up to each of us and our conscience, what we choose... I am sure there are many people who would change their attitude towards animals in tourism if they fully realized what is going on there...
Right! I don't even visit zoo's my friend.
No wild animal belongs in man's hands.
It is despicable to maltreat animals and makes me so angry that I would rather not say more here about these fools!
Hey, thanks for stopping by :) I can totally understand your stance. "Animals belong in the wild" is what I say so often... But I didn´t mention zoos intentionally because I know there are zoos and some other similar facilities where the animals and their well-being is the priority and not the profit. There are facilities that work on protection, reproduction and reintroduction of critically endangered species etc. and it would be unfair to condemn all of them. But I have no illusions that these "good" facilities where they really care for the animals and not money account for just a fraction of the whole industry... Unfortunately.
Agreed with you, we do indeed visit the rehabilitation centers and we also help some damaged animals ourselves.
You might know that many of my posts include the damage that we are doing to nature, in fact yesterday's post also mentioned it. So you are talking to the converted here.
I so wish many others that care will also start to make their voices heard.
Yeah, I often try to focus on the positive stuff as that´s what motivates people and that´s what shows that any effort can make some difference in the world... Let me see what you guys blog about :)
Thank you and I blog about all sorts of the beauty in nature.
Now and then I will place a post about our charity work, but not too many, as people prefer positive posts.
Take care!
My thoughts exactly. Raising awareness is needed on this subject, I believe most people have the heart in the right place but don't realise the wrong in most of these practices. Great post!
Thank you my friend, such a nice feedback from someone whose job is to help and save animals really means a lot :) Well, I am not sure how many people really have heart in the right place but those who do simply cannot support anything like this after grasping on the bigger picture, that´s for sure.
Exactly. And I believe as more and more awareness grows, more people will grasp the bigger picture.
I can seriously understand what you're trying to say. I felt your words very deeply. You're totally right friend. People always trying to be enjoy and satisfy only their journeys. (I mean not everyone) I also had some of experience of wild safari experience and only two whales watching experience where I traveled in the past of my state. I looked some jeep drivers doesn't care about wildlife freedom and they only find profit of their businesses. I fully blamed transport owners, Sometimes drivers hadn't any errors.
When my company staff and family members went Kaudulla national park safari to watch elephants end of last year. We arranged 5 jeeps for safari and all jeeps stopped one of interesting place (nearest Kaudulla lake). After I included 4 jeeps very quickly leaved from that place because there was sexual behavior happened couple of elephants. Only one jeep visitors looked it and then both elephants ready to attacked to jeep. Fortunately driver was perfect for driving. But if missed one moment all lives were lost. I explain above scene animal abuse because wildlife need to feel freedom. Forests, oceans their homes. We don't have necessary need to attack their homes. Every small activity of abuse I can't acceptable. Your article really heartbreaking and well written.
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us my friend. I know you are a true nature lover and dedicated animal rights advocate and I really appreciate your efforts and your inspiring work in your home country of Sri Lanka. The planet just needs more aware and responsible people like you... Thank you!
Took this at Petra, Jordan, must be the worse I've seen 😔
Poor donkeys :( I know Petra has been infamous for that... But in this particular shot, the tourists are not at least overweight... On some Greek islands and many other places around the world, sights like this are common and it´s just heartbreaking...
Always makes me want to kick those fat ignorants off the poor animals and have an elephant sit on them to know what if feels like...
So is! I also understand how attractive it is to be able to see animals up close and maybe interact with them but as you say, people should look for places like wildlife refuges or sanctuaries that respect them
Exactly :) Thanks for your visit Sofia.
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I fear for this world, my friend. If people don't respect each other, how can they respect animals?
I want to go straight to the Amazon, Antartica and remote parts of Africa before it's too late.
Like I already said, I totally understand your desire my friend ;) I just hope to see your after these epic adventures so that you can tell me all the stories :)