{"id":2859,"date":"2020-12-11T11:26:12","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T16:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/?p=2859"},"modified":"2024-02-22T15:39:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T20:39:00","slug":"5-questions-to-ask-make-your-next-trip-animal-friendly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/5-questions-to-ask-make-your-next-trip-animal-friendly\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Questions to Ask: Make Your Next Trip Animal-Friendly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 Questions to Ask: Make Your Next Trip Animal-Friendly<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Dana Santucci, EF Education First<\/a>, and Ben Williamson, World Animal Protection<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credit: EF Education First<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Travelers increasingly seek unique experiences that they couldn\u2019t get anywhere else. However, many tourists, whether they\u2019re with a group or adventuring on their own, choose activities that put animals and wildlife at risk, even if they don\u2019t do so intentionally. Younger generations tend to be more conscientious<\/a> of animal welfare when making travel decisions, but there\u2019s room for improvement among travelers of all ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travelers and travel providers alike have a responsibility to leave destinations just the way \u2013 or better than \u2013 they found them. In the context of animal tourism, this means understanding that there\u2019s more power in proactively protecting, promoting and facilitating animal welfare than there is in holding, petting or otherwise exploiting an animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, EF Education First<\/a> (EF), became the first international education company to launch a global collaboration<\/a> with World Animal Protection<\/a>, a leading international nonprofit dedicated to animal welfare. We\u2019ve worked together<\/a> to remove activities from our travel experiences that don\u2019t meet these animal welfare standards, including shows that involve animals and excursions that involve activities such as riding, petting, holding, feeding or swimming. We\u2019ve also committed to educating our staff, Tour Directors and travelers about the importance of animal welfare, common misconceptions and how to recognize violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of ways to see the world while contributing to its resiliency. For example, you can visit responsible elephant sanctuaries in Thailand<\/a> and meet with \u201cmahouts,\u201d or elephant caretakers, to learn about their role in Thai culture; protect sea turtle habitats<\/a> and vulnerable eggs in Costa Rica; or learn about overfishing and track endangered dolphins<\/a> in the Amazon River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Instead of swimming with dolphins, volunteer to help with reef restoration, as this <\/em>EF Educational Tours<\/em><\/a> student did in the Dominican Republic. Photo Credit: EF Education First<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re participating in an operator-led tour or are venturing out on your own, here are the top five things we at EF ask ourselves to make sure our trips are animal-friendly, and that you can use to make sure yours are, too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n