Animals & Tourism – Drawing the Line

Do you have a bucket list? Side note…If you don’t, go and write one now! A bucket list should consist of your dreams and goals, regardless of what category they come under. Unsurprisingly, mine largely consist of travel-related goals. A number of which include animals. Some of these I have already completed, like seeing Orangutans in the wild. Whilst, some I have not yet managed – and may never achieve. Something I have come to accept.

In today’s world, you can pretty much see any animal you want. Want to see a tiger? Well, they’re endangered and notoriously good at hiding. But… In many places in SE Asia you can get up close and personal with them, even bottle-feeding cubs. Ethically though, how would you feel about ticking your bucket list item off in that manner? Of course, you would love to see the animal this close, but knowing that the animals are heavily sedated and will never have a chance at a normal life… Well, that’s enough to put me off.

I have to be completely honest with you all, full disclosure, I have ridden elephants in the past. Years ago, before I really stopped to think about the effect people like me were having on these beautiful creatures. It’s hard. You’ll likely have seen photos of your pals doing cool things like this and think – amazing! I want to do that! You go to countries where animal exploitation is rife and it’s sold to you so simply and so cheaply. You don’t really stop to think about what you’re doing until it’s too late. Until you arrive and you feel uncomfortable with the animal’s habitat and treatment.

I think the biggest difference in our opinions towards animal tourism comes from the holiday versus travelling. The holiday is planned, we know what we’re going to do and we go and do it. Whilst travelling, you’ll likely wake up and take each day as it comes. Communicating with other travellers on what’s good to do in the area and what’s not worth the hassle. I have been put off of a number of bucket list items from speaking to others which is why I’m sharing this post with you all now.

One of the things I have wanted to do for so long is swim with whale sharks. I got so excited reading blog posts from travellers who have done this very activity in The Philippines. I saw pictures of people on Instagram who are so close to these magnificent friendly giants and I couldn’t wait to do it myself. That is until a brief conversation with a stranger in Cambodia.

She told me that swimming with whale sharks in The Philippines is dreadful. It is no longer a seasonal affair and the whale sharks stay in this area all year round now, rather than migrating naturally. Why move if there’s a daily supply of food where you are? By this point, I’m already put off. I hate the idea of contributing towards anything that could detriment an animal’s natural way of life. Further to this, she told me that the animals are overfed and that humans (classic humans) touch the animals and even try to ride them. I mean if that’s not enough to put you off your perfect photo opportunity, imagine hundreds of other humans in a small confined space all trying to do the same thing you are and ultimately spoiling what should be a natural phenomenon.

I was bummed out by what I’d heard. I mentioned it to other travellers whenever the subject broached and heard the same opinion over and over again. Don’t do it. For me, not contributing towards spoiling an animal’s life is more important than a fleeting cheap encounter with an animal who’s not behaving normally or naturally.

I know it sucks that so many people have got to do these things but I already feel guilty enough for having ridden elephants in the past that I really don’t want to go down that road again. I would much rather take the opportunity to come across a whale shark in the wild, for me that would be way more gratifying, with an added guilt-free experience. Sure, it may never happen, but I’m willing to take that risk.

Further to this, I would want no part in promoting such an idea. I get a lot of my ideas for what I’m going to do in certain areas by seeing what others have done online. Unfortunately, I haven’t come across any posts warning me of the detriments of these kinds of activities – although I’m sure there are plenty out there. But no one is googling ‘don’t swim with whale sharks the Philippines’, now are they?

I hope you can resonate with what I’ve written above. I can’t stop you from doing what you want to do but I hope I can influence your thought process when deciding to take part in tourism based on animals. If you love animals, look out for them. Do your research. Sites such as responsible travel can assist you in your decision making.

If you want to see them that badly, try to see them in the wild. You’ll likely end up on a trip you never imagined you would do. Like jungle trekking in the Congo to see gorillas. Learning to scuba dive and heading to Koh Tao during the right season to see whale sharks. Go for a Big Five safari in Africa. You might just fall in love with a country you may otherwise not have visited.

If you’re interested in where these photos were taken please check out the map below.