Wildlife tourism in Asia is booming, but it becomes unethical as it is to the expense of the wild animals. Social media economy is even driving more tourists to try this trend by taking pictures or selfies with these creatures, which causes stress and disturbance to their welfare.
People who experience wildlife tourism are showing their encounter with wild animals across social media. They share photos petting a "tamed" tiger in Thailand or riding an elephant in Indonesia. But, little did they know that they are promoting animal cruelty and confinement - whether intentional or not.
"Hundreds of thousands of wild animals across the world are taken away from natural habitats, forced into captivity and subjected to abuse, both mentally and physically, in the name of entertainment and profit," the international non-profit organization World Animal Protection said, per the South China Morning Post. Unethical wildlife tourism is when wild animals are brought into contact with people. If the demand continues, then this industry will remain.
In an article by Kevin Roose on The New York Times, he said the "phone-industrial complex" convinced people that the "six-inch glass-and-steel rectangle" is the perfect medium for "worldly experiences." It is when users document their experiences on social media in real-time in exchange for "likes," the demand grows.
Fortunately, there are organizations that want to change the unethical wildlife tourism, rehabilitate the rescued animals, and return them captive creatures to protected environments if they can't be introduced to the wild. In the tourists' part, they can also be ethical visitors by never taking part to be in contact with these creatures.
The New Daily reported that elephants used in riding programs are either captured as babies or born into captivity. These poor infants will be under the training called "phajaan" or crushing where they will be taken from their mothers and tied up in isolation, starved, and beaten. When they grow up, they continuously live in captivity, chained, saddled, and ridden.
Tourists should also be wary of elephant centers labeled as orphanages or camps. Many of these facilities are only using wildlife for profits by falsely advertising themselves as ecotourism agents.
Also, tourists should avoid tiger temples, where they can pet and take selfies with wild animals like tigers, dolphins, elephants, and slow lorises. This kind of tourism has a dark side as operators subject these animals to cruelty and exploitation in exchange for money.
Unfortunately, according to the Oxford University and World Animal Protection study in 2015, 4 million tourists who visit wildlife attractions every year contribute to animal cruelty. "At least 560,000 wild animals are currently in wildlife tourist attractions across the world," Melbourne activist, entrepreneur, and founder of wildlife and environmental conservation organization My Green World Natalie Kyriacou said. "Welfare or conservation abuses are happening in approximately three out of every four attractions included in the study."
