Animal attractions to avoid if you want to travel responsibly

Elephant riding has been named the cruelest wildlife tourist attraction in a new report. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, February 5, 2016.An animal rights group has released a list of the world’s cruelest animal tourist attractions that includes riding elephants and taking selfies with tigers.

Following the death of a Scottish tourist who was trampled and gored to death while riding an elephant in Thailand this week, the World Animal Protection group released a study identifying the top 10 cruelest wildlife entertainment activities.

According to the group, three out of four wildlife tourist attractions involve some form of animal abuse or conservation concerns, and up to 550,000 wild animals live in suffering in these venues.

Typical abuse involves tearing young animals from their mothers and beating them into submission during training to ensure they are passive enough to give rides, perform tricks, or pose for holiday selfies. Some of the worst perpetrators of abuse include bear, elephant and tiger parks, as well as turtle farms.

Topping the list is riding elephants, followed by taking tiger selfies – which became a strange, but viral trend on the dating app Tinder last year – walking with lions, visiting bear parks and holding sea turtles.

"We need to stop the demand for elephant rides and shows, as well as hugs and selfies with tigers and lions, by exposing the hidden suffering behind wildlife attractions," said Elizabeth Hogan, US Wildlife Campaign Manager at World Animal Protection in a statement.

"If you can ride, hug, or have a selfie with a wild animal, then you can be sure the attraction is cruel."

The report was prepared by the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) for World Animal Protection, and looked at TripAdvisor reviews to highlight the lack of awareness levels among tourists – of 50,000 reviews, 80% of people left positive reviews for venues practising poor animal welfare, the report says.

It’s estimated that 110 million people visit attractions that are considered abusive to animals.

In order to train elephants to give rides to humans, for example, the animals undergo a training process known as "the crush", explains the report.

The goal? To crush the elephant’s spirit while young. The method can involve anything from restraining the animals in small cages, tying them with ropes or chains, and beating them with pointed metal bull hooks or wood battens.

The process can take between a few days to a week, an experience that stays with the animal which is known for its incredible memory and recall power. In addition to breaking their spirit, abused elephants have also shown symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Here are the traps to avoid if you consider yourself an animal lover and want to travel guiltlessly, according to the World Animal Protection report:

1. Riding elephants
2. Taking tiger selfies
3. Walking with lions
4. Visiting bear parks
5. Holding sea turtles
6. Performing dolphins
7. Dancing monkeys
8. Touring civet cat coffee plantations
9. Charming snakes and kissing cobras
10. Farming crocodiles. – AFP/Relaxnews, February 5, 2016.