World’s Top 5 Cruellest Wildlife Attractions

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The treatment an elephant faces in the tourist industry.

A recent study by Oxford University revealed some of the secret methods used in animal attractions so people can make money out of the practises involved in selling trips to tourists. From seemingly innocent rides to petting and selfies, the lifelong suffering involved is heart-breaking. Here’s the truth that travel agents profiting from selling these trips don’t want you to know.


 

1.    Elephant rides

Whilst ambling along atop a strong elephant might not seem cruel to most, it is the treatment behind these innocent rides that people are unaware of.

Yes, elephants appear docile and friendly, so it is plausible that they will allow people to ride them. However, the reason you’re able to sit astride them is rather sinister.

To allow interactions with humans to take place, young elephants are forcibly removed from their mothers and compelled to endure a horrendous training process referred to as ‘the crush’.

This gruelling process involves being starved, physically restrained and inflicted pain until the elephants becomes submissive to human dominance: their docility a sign of a broken spirit. Bull hooks are often used to remind the elephant of its responsibility to remain submissive.

Elephants are social and emotional animals that are cleverer than you realise. They are aware of the human dominance used on them and this allows people to be able to ride them.

The cruelty doesn’t end with this training. When elephants are not being used for rides, they are tied up and prevented from interacting with each other, causing further damage psychological damage.
Elephants are trained with cruel methods to allow people to ride them
 
 
2.    Tiger selfies
Due to over hunting, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict, tigers are now officially ‘endangered’ according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with less than 3200 living free in the wild. Anyone wishing to have their ‘tiger selfie’ should consider this before doing so.

To allow these selfies to be taken, tigers are taken from their mothers at a very young age and forced to live chained or in barren cages. Quite often they are drugged to leave them in a permanently soporific state that renders them safe. In Thailand cruelty to tigers is particularly prevalent but there are places all over the world.

They are handled and passed about all day long between strangers.  Last year the infamous ‘Tiger Temple’ was shut down and nearly 140 tigers removed after it was discovered trafficking of animals was rampant. The monks hid 40 dead tiger cubs in freezers, thus the temple was closed, following years of complaints and suspicions.
Tigers are often drugged so they are safe to pet
 
3.    Walking with lions
Particularly popular around the Victoria Falls area and across South Africa, lion walks have provided the opportunity for the lion tourism industry to grow. Cubs are typically taken away from their mothers at a month old and then trained to allow tourists to pet them for hours and pose for photos. When the cubs are too old for this, they are specially trained for walking with tourists. They face a life in captivity and are abused to keep them as tame as possible.

With the lion population decreasing every day due to poachers, trophy hunters and human encroachment, lions deserve the respect we gave them when crowning them the ‘kings of the jungle’.  By paying to pet or walk with lions, you are paying to keep them cruelly in captivity by people who cannot release them into the wild.
Due to their training, lions are not able to be released into the wild
4.    Dolphin shows
The loss of a third orca has recently put Sea World under ever-increasing scrutiny but they are not the worst of the organisations showcasing the tricks of cetaceans. Visitors are ignorant of the cruel methods by which cetaceans, such as dolphins and whales, come to be in aquariums.

Taiji is a hotbed or rather bloodbath of activity for six months of the year as Japanese fisherman slaughter and butcher cetaceans for lucrative prices. Despite the efforts of organisations like Sea Shepherd, new Japanese laws now make it an act of terrorism if intervention in the capture of cetaceans takes place.  They are chased for hours by boats and often die due to the stress of capture in nets or being rounded up in the infamous cove.

Dolphins and whales are then confined to small pools when they are used to travelling miles in oceans each day. Keeping them in aquariums is akin to never leaving a bedroom for your entire life: depression, boredom, fear – yep, just like humans, dolphins and whales suffer the same emotions we would if stuck in a prison.
For 6 months a year, fisherman kill and capture cetaceans in Taiji
 5.    Holding sea turtles
Thankfully, there is no only one sea turtle farm left, situated in the Caymen Islands. Tourists come to hold, and even eat, turtles during their visit. Being held causes the turtle great distress and some have been known to panic when they are picked up and its hardly surprising as they have been dropped by tourists causing significant injuries. On the farm, they suffer from disease and stress – their lives spent in what is, essentially, a torture chamber.
Turtles suffer disease and stress on the farm

 What can you do instead?
If you really want to spend time with animals whilst on holiday, find sanctuaries that would be happy for you to volunteer at – some will allow you to stay for prolonged periods of time. During your experience, you can expect to support the organisation in nursing animals back to health. Animals that are treated with respect by people who dedicate their lives to helping animals. It’s an unforgettable experience and is far more worthy that petting or sitting on depressed animals.

When researching for an organisation to help you plan your experience, don’t forget to check them as well – some will make more money out of you than you think! Click on the links below for further details.

 
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/alternatives-to-cruel-animal-attractions-in-thailand/

www.bambelela.org.za/

https://www.gvi.co.uk/volunteer-abroad/animal-care/

https://www.oysterworldwide.com/projects/animal-welfare/

 

 
Location: Manchester, UK

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