A tour operator would dangle a baitfish for a dolphin, and dozens of tourists would flock to her. Scratching her skin and scaring her out of her wits, they will do everything to capture an Instagram-worthy photo with her.
Elephants, kept in severely cruel conditions, are beaten and chained and then presented to tourists who want to take selfies while riding them.
That’s the reality of wildlife tourism.
Humans have always been greedy regarding wildlife. Yet they never learned how to share nature with them.
And the social media influence has given it a further materialistic twist.
Now, tourists do not want ordinary wildlife encounters. They create photo-driven bucket lists. They want to capture pictures with exotic animals. And they want these photos to get millions of likes and shares.
This overly-publicized wildlife tourism is cruel and degrading for the animals.
Wildlife encounters draw tourists from all over the globe. It accounts for 20-40% of global tourism, but a significant portion of this rapidly growing travel trend is made up of unethical practices.
Right now, over 550,000 wild animals – elephants, tigers, sloths, dolphins, etc. – are victims of questionable wildlife encounters.
So, as an ethical tourist, there lies a crucial responsibility – making sure that your journey supports wildlife rather than harming it.
In this blog, we will discuss how to engage in ethical wildlife tourism, explore responsible wildlife encounters, and support sustainable travel tips that keep our planet’s wild creatures safe. Let’s start!
The Importance of Ethical Wildlife Tourism
Do you know that recent statistics share that wildlife tourism is a booming industry valued at USD 150 billion in 2023. And it is projected to double by 2028.
However, up to 550,000 wild animals suffer each year in the name of unethical tourist attractions (World Animal Protection). They are chained, abused, and beaten to make them more amiable and entertaining for tourists. Festivals, circuses, private tour guides, and other bigger organizations exploit these animals.
Do you want to be a part of this? Or do you want to be an ethical wildlife tourist?
In this discussion, we will tell you everything you need to know to make ethical choices that protect wildlife. Let’s bear part of the burden on innocent animals by supporting ethical wildlife tourism in 2025!
What You Should Know About Ethical Wildlife Tourism
As a traveler, you have the power to shape the future of wildlife conservation. By supporting ethical wildlife tourism, you are taking a stand for animal welfare – and for the living beings who cannot speak up for themselves.
Here’s why ethical wildlife tourism is so important in 2025.
- Conservation Funding: Your responsible tourism will generate revenue for local conservation projects so that they can help endangered species and preserve natural habitats.
- Community Benefits: Ethical tour operators work with local communities and thus ensure that tourism is good for both people and wildlife.
- Personal Impact: Sustainable travel isn’t a trend – it is a personal choice. Be the type of traveler whose wildlife encounter never harms any animal but instead contributes to their protection.
The Dark Side of Wildlife Tourism
Although wildlife tourism is life-changing, unethical practices still exist.
The majority of wildlife attractions involve direct contact with animals, such as riding elephants and camels, petting tigers, or feeding dolphins. This human interaction with animals leads to stress, injury, and long-term harm to the creatures.
A global study by Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) found that nearly 75% of such wildlife attractions involve severe welfare abuses.
Here are the 10 worst attractions that treat animals poorly, according to the report:
- Riding elephants
- Taking pictures with tigers
- Walking alongside lions
- Visiting bear parks
- Holding sea turtles
- Watching dolphins perform tricks
- Seeing monkeys forced to dance
- Visiting coffee farms that use civet cats
- Watching snake charmers and people kissing cobras
- Crocodile farms.
Jamie, one of our team members, shared with us that he naively took part in what he thought was a friendly elephant ride in Thailand. It wasn’t until later that he learned about the brutal training methods behind the wildlife encounter. He has been extremely careful about his travels now and always chooses to visit ethical sanctuaries where the elephants roam free!
What Defines an Ethical Wildlife Experience?
Ethical wildlife tourism is a murky landscape. Some of the activities are ethically okay – for example, swimming with wild dolphins is fine as long as you use propeller-free boats. But spinner dolphins? They would hate it if you disturbed them during the day. During the daytime, these spinner dolphins rest and sleep to gain energy for the night when they have to avoid predators.
The way we see it, wildlife encounters are always, to a greater or moderate degree, detrimental to animals’ welfare. For example, human interaction with spinner dolphins is contributing to their decline in some parts of the world.
Depending on the nature of your tour or the scenario, when evaluating a wildlife encounter, keep these three questions in mind:
- Is the animal in its natural habitat?
The ethical practice would be to observe wild lions on a safari in Africa. An unethical practice is petting a lion cub who was bred solely for tourist interactions.
- Does the wildlife encounter/activity support conservation?
Visit sanctuaries that rehabilitate rescued animals. But stay away from attractions that profit from captive breeding programs.
- Does the tourism company have a credible certification?
Look for certifications that demonstrate a commitment to animal welfare, like Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Fair Trade Tourism, or Blue Flag (for marine tourism).
These simple tips will ensure that your tourism is part of a larger movement toward responsible wildlife encounters.
Red Flags: How to Spot Unethical Wildlife Tourism
The best way to spot unethical wildlife tourism is to understand animal behavior. Animals should behave naturally, even in the presence of tourists.
Animals sometimes exhibit abnormal actions and signs in response to stress caused by human interaction. For example, when a pup raises its head to look at an observer, an elephant refuses to move, or when a deer is skittish and nervous. These are the signs that the animal’s well-being is compromised.
Remember, ethical wildlife tourism is all about letting animals be relaxed and happy.
Before you book any wildlife encounters, watch out for the following red flags that give away their unethical practices.
Red Flag 1: Forced Performances
Facilities that injure, sedate, or force animals to participate in entertaining activities are the biggest red flags. Tourists should watch out for tour guides or facilities where enclosures aren’t clean, animals are chained so as to cause them pain, and forced to interact with humans, such as giving rides, being washed, or posing with them.
Dolphins trained to jump through hoops, monkeys made to perform tricks, and other unnatural behaviors are examples of unethical wildlife tourism.
Red Flag 2: Direct Physical Interaction
Wildlife is not meant to be touched. One of the core principles of ethical wildlife tourism is that there shouldn’t be any direct contact between humans and animals.
Elephants, slow lorises, lions, dolphins, monkeys, and other wild animals are not pets. And any interactions cause long-term physical damage and distress to the animal.
Many unethical wildlife tourism activities involve abusing, drugging, and confining animals, like cutting the teeth of slow lorises to prevent them from biting tourists.
Red Flag 3: Lack of Transparency
Facilities with a lack of transparency are often practicing unethical wildlife tourism.
Signs of such facilities are that the operators will refuse to share information about their animal welfare practices, the attractions will have no third-party certifications, and the word “sanctuary” will be used without verifiable evidence of ethical wildlife tourism practices.
Red Flag 4: Feeding and Baiting
Another red flag to spot while booking wildlife encounters is feeding and baiting activities. For example, in the Philippines, tourists come from all over the world to swim with the whale sharks.
The local fisherman would feed the whale sharks and bait them, to bring them closer to humans, often leading to bumping and touching. Feeding disrupts natural foraging behaviors and can make whale sharks dependent on humans. And the whole interaction stresses them out and makes them an easy target for predators.
Red Flag 5: Overcrowding
There are many examples of overcrowding during wildlife encounters. For example, when tourists flock to Thailand’s tiger temples or Oslob’s waters to swim with whale sharks.
Tours that pack more than 50 people into a safari jeep and attractions with large groups interacting with a single animal are more red flags to watch out for if you support responsible wildlife encounters.
Overcrowding can stress animals and damage their habitats. It also leads to littering, pollution, and habitat degradation, which poses risks both for the tourists as well as the animals. However, sustainable and ethical wildlife tourism can contribute to a 20-40% reduction in habitat degradation in some regions.
Planning Your Ethical Wildlife Trip: A Step-by-Step Guide
Wildlife is meant to be respected. However, humans have long crossed the boundaries of wildlife tourism just to satisfy their curiosities.
This negligent behavior during unethical wildlife tourism poses serious risks to humans (as they get close to the animals without much protection) and to animals (who are forced to act purely for the tourists’ entertainment.)
So, how do we manage ethical wildlife tourism? Ask yourself one question, “is the wildlife acting differently around me?” If the answer is yes, that means that you are too close to it – back off a little!
Here are all the steps that will help you engage in ethical and responsible wildlife tourism.
Step 1: Do Your Homework
Before you book any tour, check certifications! It is not easy to tell upfront whether the tourism facilities are offering ethical wildlife encounters. So, look for independent certifications such as GSTC, Fair Trade Tourism, or Blue Flag.
You should also read reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor. Sometimes, even attractions with poor animal welfare receive positive reviews due to a lack of awareness. However, there are some activities that should be avoided at all costs, such as tiger petting and monkey performances.
So, research responsibly. Websites and online platforms, such as WWF, also help make ethical and sustainable travel choices.
Step 2: Ask the Right Questions
Reach out to operators before booking any wildlife encounter or activity. Ask them for a documented animal welfare policy or examples of how their practices support local conservation efforts.
If they are not giving answers, seek them yourself. Ask yourself, ‘How did this animal get here?’ ‘Is it domesticated or abused?’ or ‘Is it performing human activities, like bike riding, painting, or fighting.’
If the answers are suspicious and shady, gather as much information as you can and immediately report the unethical treatment of wildlife to the appropriate local authorities.
Step 3: Prepare for Your Trip
Ethical wildlife tourism is all about behaving properly in the presence of animals.
Your tourism activities shouldn’t disturb the natural routine of the wild animals, so make sure to do the following to prepare for your trip;
- Bring a zoom lens so that you can capture close-up shots of animals without disturbing them.
- Pack eco-friendly supplies, like reusable water bottles, biodegradable sunscreen, and minimal waste items.
- Research local regulations and familiarize yourself with local wildlife laws to ensure that your visit is ethical and sustainable.
Step 4: Be a Responsible Tourist On-Site
The grey whales at Magdalena Bay trust the local fisherman and may even introduce their babies to them, but that doesn’t mean they will like you, too.
As a responsible wildlife tourist, you must respect the natural boundaries of wildlife and observe animals from a safe distance. Make sure that you book wildlife encounters with a licensed company and follow their instructions so that there is minimum human impact on wildlife.
Whether you are riding camels in the UAE or going on a whale-watching boat tour in Mexico, do not feed, touch, or attempt to interact closely with wild animals unless permitted by the tour operators.
Unethical wildlife encounters and tourism is a thorny issue, and you must play a part in spreading awareness. Post reviews and photos that support ethical practices to enlighten other tourists and discourage unethical encounters, such as putting animals to work or forcing them to be nothing but photo props for humans.
Popular Examples of Ethical Wildlife Tourism
Encountering animals in their natural habitats is called ethical wildlife tourism. It can range from not-for-profit sanctuaries to hands-off wildlife encounters.
If you are a responsible tourist who wants to participate in ethical animal experiences, here are four popular wildlife encounters without the guilt that comes with photo ops or interactions.
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
Gorilla trekking is an ethical wildlife tourism experience. It adheres to strict wildlife rules, safeguards the primates, and also prevents any distress that comes from human proximity.
Operators who offer this ethical wildlife encounter to tourists strictly adhere to the following guidelines:
- Group Size: Limited to 8 people to reduce disturbance.
- Distance: A 7-meter distance between animals and humans is maintained at all times.
- Health Precautions: Masks and hygiene protocols are necessary to protect both gorillas and tourists.
Swimming with Whale Sharks in Mexico
If you’re wondering whether swimming with whales is ethical? Yes! Especially in La Paz, where the whale shark area has the strictest rules in the world. The restrictions on this wildlife activity include;
- No-Feeding Policy: Operators strictly forbid feeding the whale sharks.
- Limited Swimmers: Only two swimmers are allowed for one shark, thus maintaining a respectful distance.
- Eco-Friendly Boats: Propeller-free boats reduce the risk of injuring marine life.
Rescuing Elephants in Thailand
Elephant riding in Thailand is considered a highly unethical wildlife tourism practice.
However, you can visit sanctuaries like Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. These people rescue the elephants from cruel and exploitative situations and allow them to live freely in their natural habitat.
However, you have to follow the following guidelines;
- No Riding Policy: You cannot ride elephants here – they roam freely.
- Support Rehabilitation: Elephants are rescued from abuse, and thus, they are given a safe and stress-free environment.
- Learn About Ethical Wildlife Tourism: Learning about elephant conservation allows you to develop awareness regarding unethical tourism.
Ethical Wildlife Watching in Kenya
The ethical wildlife safaris in Kenya aim to minimize the impact on animals and their natural habitat due to human visits.
In Kenya, many tour operators offer eco-friendly safari experiences by allowing only a few vehicles in each park. They would follow strict national and international animal welfare guidelines. And submit part of the fee directly to community-based conservation projects.
What Is The Ripple Effect In Ethical Wildlife Tourism
Do you know that many koalas silently suffer due to the cruel cuddle encounters across Australia?
Many popular venues in Queensland, such as Australia Zoo and Dreamworld, use these animals purely for entertainment purposes without caring about their welfare. The koala cuddles have garnered attention from all over the world, particularly from animal welfare organizations.
The growing need for ethical wildlife tourism demands that countries and tourism businesses adopt more responsible and suitable wildlife encounters and entertainment practices.
Whenever you interact with wildlife, just know that your actions have far-reaching consequences. It is up to you to decide whether you are propagating a positive or negative effect on the world.
The awareness around the ripple effect of ethical wildlife tourism has dramatically improved tours and attractions and produced the following effects in the world:
- The increased demand for ethical wildlife experiences pressures tour operators to improve their practices and adhere to strict guidelines.
- Ethical tourism provides support and vital income for local communities, thus encouraging sustainable development and a better future for wildlife.
- Revenue generated from ethical wildlife tourism supports and funds conservation projects that protect the natural habitats of animals and endangered species.
As soon as every tourist in the world starts thinking twice before booking an attraction that exploits wildlife, they can reduce the global estimate of 550,000 suffering animals each year, creating a more sustainable and better future with ethical wildlife tourism.
