One of the greatest joys of traveling is being able to interact with local wildlife. Seeing a graceful whale breach the water is one thing; witnessing a massive bull buffalo trotting through the grasslands is something else entirely. In many parts of the world, people take advantage of the natural beauty of the land and set up small businesses catering to tourists who come to view exotic creatures. Unfortunately, many of these encounters are not in the best interest of the animal. At first glance, it’s easy to miss the abuse and mistreatment, but with education, we can learn which animal tourism activities are unethical.
In complete transparency and honesty, I did partake in two of these experiences (we’ll go into more later). Since then, I’ve learned so much about the best interest of the animal. While my intent was good, my actions were not. Since learning, I want to share this knowledge with others. There’s a whole section of this website devoted to ethical animal tourism – from what it is, to questions to ask before you go, and ethical experiences worldwide. I put together some of the cruelest animal tourism activities so we can share awareness and hopefully end these experiences and animal suffering.
While the problem is worldwide, it is fixable. It’s simple supply and demand. If tourists didn’t demand these experiences, they wouldn’t pay for them. Then the animal handlers wouldn’t see the financial benefits of the animal encounter.
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1. Taking a selfie with a tiger.
Tigers have been my favorite animal for as long as I can remember. When I first saw a selfie with a tiger I thought it was the COOLEST thing (albeit I was about 8 at the time). However, any true tiger lover would not engage in this. Young tiger cubs are taken from their mother at an early age and, in some cases, drugged so they are submissive and compliant. They are then put through rigorous training sessions where they’re picked up, handled, and coddled by tourists for hours on end. Then they’re released back into the wild after posing for photos and taking selfies.
Instead of exploring the jungle, swimming in lakes, hunting, and playing these tigers will only know cages and abuse. They’re also often drugged so they are calm when tourists are around. While I would love a picture of myself with a tiger, it will have to be with a wild one.
A two-year study conducted by CWI (Care for the Wild International), found abominable cases of trafficking and abuse by a popular (which has since closed) tiger “sanctuary” in Thailand. Here, animals were drugged, tethered by chains around their neck, had tendons in their limbs severed, were teased with food, had their claws and teeth removed, and were regularly beaten, thrown about, and kicked to make them perform tricks. This one “sanctuary” was shut down, but there are plenty that continues in other places. This is why it’s so important for travelers to do their research before they travel somewhere.
2. Riding an Elephant
Another animal that is taken from the family at a young age is the beautiful elephant. In order to be docile enough to be ridden, young elephants are often taken from their mothers and then beaten and tortured. The idea is to break them into submission. The process is aptly named ‘the crush’ because it crushes the animals’ spirit. Trained elephants are often hit with metal hooks in their shoulder (behind their front legs). These elephants are confined to small spaces while elephants in the wild can walk miles per day.
Sometimes it’s not as obvious that these encounters are unethical. I rode an elephant in South Africa. I can chalk it up to being young and naive, which I was, but the truth is I didn’t WANT to see it as unethical. The place had ‘sanctuary’ in the name – how bad could it be? The animals seemed well cared for and I didn’t see any overt abuse. The trainers told us that the elephants were orphans trained with positive reinforcement. I’ve learned that this is marketing to its finest. If they were a real sanctuary, the goal would be to reintroduce the young elephant into the wild, not train them for human entertainment.
3. Holding Turtles
Sea turtles are probably one of the few universally-loved creatures on the planet. This love has really increased after Crush in Finding Nemo. The prospect of holding these seems like an awesome experience. However, when you hold a turtle, it causes it a great amount of stress.
Turtles already have a hard enough time surviving. Between being hunted when they hatch on beaches, drowning in fishing nets, or accidentally ingesting plastic instead of jellyfish. Humans should be striving to help these animals survive, not hold them for a cute picture.
When you pick up a turtle, the stress can impact its immune system. The stress can also make the turtle flap its legs to get away. If this startles the person holding it, they might drop it and crack, chip, or break the shell which can result in death.
4. Street performing monkeys
Monkeys are some of the most curious, friendly creatures. Any type of wild monkey I’ve come near has been energetic (to say the least). From eating bananas off my head in Panama to playing outside our window in Kenya, they’re just adorable.
Unfortunately, this adorableness is exploited. In places like Thailand, you might see monkeys on leashes or in small cages. Similar to other encounters on this list, the animals are trained to perform by beating them. It’s heartbreaking. Unfortunately, because tourists keep paying for this entertainment, the monetary value of monkeys seems to outweigh the negative behaviors of handlers.
5. Bear shows
Similar to the dolphin shows above, bear shows are not any better. Bears are often kept in concrete pits or small cages. Depending on the type of show the bear is in, they may be fighting for entertainment or being forced to perform in a show.
Bears in the wild are very curious and like to explore. When kept in small cages without mental stimulation the bears’ mental health suffers.
The bears that are trained to fight can get injured and without proper care, they can get infected. The bears that are trained to perform (like in circuses) are often beaten into submission in order for them to do things they don’t want to do. Often, cubs are taken from the wild so they are easier to train.
6. Walking with Lions Experience
This is an issue similar to taking photos with tigers. When cubs are a few weeks old, they are taken from their moms. This is stressful for both mother and cub. The cubs then become reliant on humans for everything. Animal handlers allow tourists to cuddle, hold, and pose with the cubs. If the cubs show distress, they are removed from the situation and usually physically hit. (This typically isn’t done in front of the tourist.)
After they grow out of their cub phase and can’t be handled by tourists anymore for pictures, they are moved to a ‘walking with lions’ experience. Since the cubs grew up around humans, the thought is that they can walk alongside humans like a dog. Which, in all honesty, sounds pretty cool. However, tourists may be given a baton or stick to reprimand a lion if they get too close. Once the lions are fully grown, around 2-3 years, they are then put in captivity.
While you might think it’s easy to spot the unethical part of this encounter, the organizations say that these animals are orphaned and need this program. The lion walks are a way to bring in much-needed funds to help sustain the lion population. While that sounds great to the eager-tourist’s ear, ‘donating’ to these programs doesn’t actually benefit the lion population. Very rarely, if ever, are the lions returned to the wild. Here’s one case example out of Zimbabwe.
One of the most important questions to ask when researching an animal encounter – is what is the end goal? Is the goal to make money? Rehab the animals? Release the animals back into the wild? All of this makes a difference!
7. Dolphin shows
I remember visiting SeaWorld as a kid and seeing some of my other favorite animals up close. (Orcas are my #2 animal, with dolphins being #3) I loved learning about their behaviors, appreciating their knowledge, and enjoying their playfulness. Experiencing this as a young kid made me love the ocean throughout my life. Again though, just because the intent is good, doesn’t mean it’s an ethical animal encounter – or in the best interest of the animal.
Captured in the ocean, dolphins are often chased at high speeds by speedboat crews. Hauling wild dolphins – including orcas (or killer whales) is a huge feat. They live in small enclosures, where they’re forced to swim in circles for hours on end.
Captive bottlenose dolphins often suffer from mental illness, spending their lives in tiny tanks, leading to heart disease and stomach ulcerations. These animals are often cared for with the bare minimum nutrients. Imagine having frozen meals every day, living in a small room, after being taken from your home in the wild. It’s truly a saddening experience when you sit back and think about it.
Orcas are actually dolphins, not whales, and suffer from a lot of the same mental health issues. There is no record of a wild orca attacking a human being. However, we are seeing more orcas attack their trainers at places like SeaWorld. The documentary Blackfish has brought a lot of awareness around this issue.
8. Crocodile Farm
Crocodiles are one of the apex predators of the natural world. Seeing them up close would be a really cool experience if it was an ethical experience. However, the crocodile farm is often a front to a breeding program to fulfill the demand for their skin and meat.
Farms are often used as tourist attractions to show off the power of these immense creatures. Usually, only 10-20 crocodiles are shown to tourists while the rest are kept in the back for breeding. Smaller crocodiles may have their mouths taped shut so tourists can take a picture with them!
Most of the massive breeding farms keep the crocodiles in pits and are overcrowded. Crocodiles are territorial creatures and can often fight each other in such limited spaces. Not only will the crocs kill each other, but they may also develop infections that may kill them too. The animals are put through all of this stress just to be killed for their skin. Crocodile skin is used in a number of high fashion designs.
From birth to death, these crocodiles miss out on exploring, hunting, and the wild – all for the benefit of capitalism.
9. Snake charmer show
I’ve only seen a snake charmer in Morocco and thought it was hypnotizing. The way the human and snake moved together almost in harmony made it seem like they were in sync. I always assumed the snake was a pet of the human – well cared for and loved, and simply performing on the street for tourists’ spare change. It wasn’t until many years later while watching some documentary that I learned otherwise.
First, these snakes are often cobras caught in the wild. Their fangs and venom ducts are removed, thus making what the charmer did a bit less impressive since there’s no danger involved. When you dig a little deeper, these procedures are often not done by professionals – meaning the animal can be in a lot of pain and be exposed to infection, or even death.
10. Assorted photo opportunities
Across the globe, I’ve seen a number of photo opportunities with a variety of animals. The general rule that I have is if you can hold, hug, cuddle, or take a selfie with the animal, then an assessment should be done. Be sure to check out my guide to the 10 questions to ask to ensure the animal encounter is ethical.
Luckily there are plenty of ethical animal encounters that do put the animals’ welfare first. Since I have had great intentions and still made mistakes, I’ve committed to educating and spreading awareness about ethical animal tourism. I’ve partnered with travel bloggers around the world to bring you a wide variety of experiences so you can still love these animals and help them thrive.
Before you spend your hard-earned money – be sure to research where the money is going and who is actually benefiting from it!
Read More about Ethical Animal Encounters
How Ethical Animal Tourism Benefits Nature & Wildlife
10 Questions to Ask Before Engaging in Animal Tourism
Save “10 Cruel Animal Encounters to Avoid” for Later
Love this article, these experiences need to be exposed for what they are – animal cruelty. Thank you for explaining why each encounter is harmful to the animals. Great article.
I love this… “I have had great intentions and still made mistakes.” Looking back, I did partake in some of these while I was less informed, so I thank you for spreading the word about the impact of these activities on animals.
Exactly. It’s so easy sometimes to engage in these because seeing them up close is a cool experience, but not a great one for the animal!
Great and educational post! When I visited Thailand I visited an elephant sanctuary and made a point to not ride the elephants or participate in an animal excursions! So sad how these animals are abused and by paying to see these shows you’re supporting animal abuse. More people need to be educated on this topic.
I am totally with you on all the point you raised.
I have never done any of the above for that reason and only want to see healthy animals in their own environment.
I have a lot of respect for the charities that tend to wounded animals for them to be released back into the wild.
Friends have wanted me to go with them to zoos, but I have had to say no and explain why.
Thank you for raising awareness and sharing your reflections from personal experiences. This is very helpful and also important when seeking out animal encounters on our travels. I personally see a huge issue with bears, elephants, and tigers drugged to perform and entertain tourists, especially families for very odd and cringe photo opportunities. I understand children want to see the animals live but often the animal encounters and staff are too soft with enforcing certain rules and parents not preparing the kids for such an encounter. Excitement is all good and valid, but it is harmful and stressful to the animals and not a great experience for others, e.g. screaming children on whale watching tours have resulted in the whales diving and thus ruining it for everyone else.
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
Ummm, who is ever brave enough to do #1 on your list? I support the actions and experiences that do not incur harmful treatment of animals. They were not meant to be a tourist attraction and we should respect that. Thanks for bringing awareness to this subject.
Thank you for bringing awareness to this subject. I go by the rule that if the animal isn’t in its natural habitat it’s unethical, as that’s where they belong. The suffering these animals are subjected to are shocking!
I don’t even go to the zoo, so reading that people, in 2022, still do this kind of activity with animals makes me very confused. Let’s hope that with time and more awareness, with more education of people, things will change and animals will stop being treated as tourist attractions once and for all
Fingers crossed! The only thing I can do is educate 🙂
Thank you for writing about this important issue. I still see many tourists do some of these and I think we all need to raise awareness so countries stop encouraging this form of tourism. I love seeing animals in their natural habitat though and the best example was in Iceland where animals such as puffins, horses and seals are free and don’t feel threatened by strangers.
Reading this is so sad to know there are still so many “encounters” that are just terrible for the animals. I really appreciate your posts about the ethical animal encounters, but this is also so important to read. I’m guilty of the elephant and SeaWorld which I will also attribute to young naivete. However if anything that’s made me more aware of what not to do and I will not do anything to do with animals until I’ve read up on it extensively to make sure it’s ethical. If not, I’d rather skip it
It’s honestly very sad that there are even animal encounters that only aim to exploit and hurt the animals. It’s disgusting how practices like this is still a thing. When I visited the Everglades in Florida, at the end of the boat tour, they did a show with the alligators. That made me upset and uncomfortable, because I don’t like the idea of having alligators kept in a small area to be put on display for a show.