By Andra Janieks
For the first time in recent history, people around the globe have a rare opportunity to pause and reflect on how we can be better – for humanity, for wildlife, and for the environment. When borders reopen and airlines resume their routes, we have the opportunity to be better, more responsible travelers.
Wildlife tourism has gained immense popularity over the last several years, with elephant experiences topping the list of many travelers’ bucket lists. Travelers flock to places like Southeast Asia where they have the opportunity to ride an elephant or cuddle a tiger cub. However, these experiences can actually be incredibly harmful to the species overall.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean all wildlife experiences are bad. In fact, when done responsibly, tourism can provide tremendous benefits, like financing conservation in protected areas, supporting local communities, and providing care for animals that cannot be released into the wild. These experiences also have a huge impact on people, instilling appreciation for the species overall and spreading awareness around the issues they face.
Traveling and supporting wildlife tourism is important, so how can you make sure you do it responsibly?
Trunks & Leaves, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of wild Asian elephants and their habitats, put together a guide on responsible wildlife tourism to provide the tools and resources necessary for travellers to make ethical decisions. With World Tourism Day on September 27, Trunks & Leaves was encouraging travelers and travel companies alike to commit to responsible tourism practices moving forward.
Read on for three ways to view wildlife responsibly during your next trip:
1. Keep your distance.
When viewing wildlife, tourists should always keep a distance of at least 20 meters with a clear separation between people and animals, whether it is a barrier or a safari car. Absence of a barrier, even with animals that seem docile and safe, leave open the possibility of accidents that endanger either the person or animal.
Similarly, never feed wild animals. Feeding wildlife, like elephants, encourages them to become dependent on human hand-outs. Often, the sweet, high-calorie things they are fed are much more preferable to their natural foliage. This can lead them to start obstructing traffic on roads to demand food from passerby, or even become crop or home raiders.
2. Avoid hands-on experiences.
Some ex-working elephants can’t be released into the wild and need a sanctuary and caretakers to care for them. However, these animals do not benefit from being played with and touched by humans. Animals in captivity should live a life as similar to the wild as possible, without human interference. Human contact can also transfer diseases and pathogens that have the potential to decimate wild elephant numbers. As a traveler, avoid any experiences that promote human-elephant contact, like feeding, bathing and riding.
This is especially true when it comes to experiences with baby elephants. Young calves have the best chance of being successfully released back into the wild, but this is not possible if they become heavily socialized with humans. Supporting a facility that provides these hands-on experiences also contributes to the financial incentive for them to have a steady supply of cute calves, when can spur illegal captures or unsustainable breeding practices.
3. Share responsibly.
Social media is powerful, and we need to be mindful of the types of things we post online. When travellers, bloggers and influencers share photos of their experiences with elephants – touching, bathing, riding, and playing with calves – they can influence millions of people around the world to seek out similar experiences. Similarly, it’s become common for tourists to edit out fences or barriers in their photos with elephants, making it appear that they are standing closer to the animal. These photos have the power to inspire others to partake in dangerous and irresponsible activities, like approaching a wild elephant on foot. As you start to plan for future travel, do your research and make sure your choices won’t harm wildlife. Take the pledge to commit to ethical, responsible tourism by only participating in experiences that ensure the safety and well-being of wildlife.
This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media