How to Have a Holiday with a Difference

Friendly wildlife-watching

Did you know that some seemingly benign activities such as whale-watching, scuba-diving, or taking an elephant-back safari can have a harmful effect on wildlife? As the popularity of wildlife watching holidays continues to grow, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is encouraging travellers to be aware…

Free Willy

More and more people around the world are experiencing the thrill of seeing whales in their natural habitats. An estimated 10 million people go whale-watching each year, and the industry is now worth US$1billion annually. Watching a humpback whale leap out of the water and come back down with a tremendous splash or a sperm whale lift its huge tail above the waves are sights you’ll never forget. But while whale-watching educates people about the magnificent creatures and plants that live in the oceans, it is important to ensure that our enjoyment of whales and marine mammals does not have a negative impact on their wellbeing, numbers or natural environment.  

Whales, dolphins and porpoises rely on underwater sounds for communication, navigation and to locate food. Escalating man-made noise pollution from boat engines, along with shipping, sonar and deep-sea drilling, can cause behavioural changes in whales and dolphins, such as abandoning breeding and feeding areas, and in extreme cases lead to stranding and even death.

To ensure your activities do not impact the marine environment, ensure that you go whale-watching with a responsible company. Choose a company which does not allow its boats to spend any more than 15 minutes near the animals and which ensures its vessels keep at a reasonable distance away from any marine mammals. 

Save the underwater world

A quarter of all sea creatures live in tropical coral reefs. Many of these species are threatened by people who remove shells and corals, unwittingly contributing to the problem because taking individual species out of the coral reef environment has a knock-on effect on the entire ecological balance, disrupting or destroying the lives of all organisms involved.

When swimming, diving or snorkelling, avoid touching corals or any marine creatures. Coral reefs are sensitive environments in which even small changes can have dire consequences and it may take decades for them to recover, if they recover at all.

In addition, never take any marine creatures home with you as a souvenir or for your aquarium. Many species are endangered and large proportions of tropical fish meant for home fish tanks die when being caught or in transit.

Dolphin-friendly

Bottlenose dolphins, Tenerife © Peter Bokhorst/ iStockphoto   In many countries, marine mammals such as dolphins and whales are kept in captivity for public shows and displays, ‘swim with’ and ‘dolphin assisted therapy’ initiatives, as well as so-called public education programmes, and research/captive breeding programmes.

Keeping dolphins, whales and other marine mammals in captivity raises serious animal welfare concerns, especially when these animals are removed from the wild for the purposes of entertainment. When dolphins are taken from their natural habitat, for example, many individuals suffer physical and psychological effects from their chase, capture and transport, which can often prove to be fatal.

IFAW urges tourists to avoid such shows and instead explore opportunities that do not involve captive animals. Some companies offer the chance to swim with wild dolphins at sea. It is very important that you research any operators carefully before considering such an activity, as the animals can be easily disturbed and close physical contact with humans can sometimes have harmful consequences such as injuries or sickness. Shore-based spotting of whales and dolphins is the safest option and is still very rewarding.

See Babar in his home

Elephant trying to get some food - Botswana   For many travellers to Africa or Asia, seeing herds of elephants roaming wild is one of the highlights of a wildlife-viewing safari experience. Yet in some countries elephants are kept in captivity and used as ‘working elephants’. These animals are used for festivals and celebrations, patrolling forest in national parks and for tourism.

Sometimes these activities raise serious animal welfare issues. For example, in order to keep elephants in captivity or service, some elephant trainers try to ‘break the elephant’ using cruel techniques, such as using an Ankus, a long pole with a metal hook on the end, or keeping the animals in shackles.

In South Africa, young elephants are captured in Zimbabwe and transported across the border to be used for elephant-back safaris, and IFAW is campaigning to see this activity banned. Tourists are urged to avoid participating in elephant-back safaris, elephant treks or walking with elephants, and instead enjoy them from a safe distance in their natural habitat.

 

Just say ‘no’

IFAW urges all travellers to avoid taking part in any activity which is cruel to animals, whether wild, farmed or domesticated. Steer clear of having your photograph taken with chimpanzees or other performing animals, visiting circuses or bullfights, or taking rides on sick, over-worked or badly treated horses, donkeys, or camels.

By choosing your holiday activities wisely, you can help support local efforts to protect species in the wild, improve the livelihoods of individual animals and protect the natural environment for both people and animals. That’s a holiday with a difference.

If you think that you have seen or been offered an endangered species product on holiday, contact the tour operator, hotel management, local tourist board or local police, or if in the UK, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. And see IFAW for more information.

Top 20 animals to spot in the wild. Author: IFAW

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