The "petting" of wild animals slammed by the Federation of Tour Operators |
Leading members of the UK travel industry have thrown their weight behind a campaign launched by the international wildlife charity, the Born Free Foundation, to stop the mistreatment and misuse of wild animals exploited by photographers in holiday resorts around the world. Investigations by Born Free reveal that wild animals such as lions and tigers are often drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them “safe” to handle. Unsuspecting tourists in resorts and holiday hotspots across the world unwittingly take part in such photo-opportunities, unaware of the cruelty and suffering involved. Clients pay for a photograph holding, stroking or sitting on a wild animal. Numerous recorded incidents of direct contact between humans and animals have resulted in injury or even death. No matter whether the animal has been wild-caught or captive-born, juvenile or adult, male or female, wild animals are potentially dangerous and can pose a real risk to any tourists foolhardy enough to have direct contact with them. Alarmed by findings, the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) which includes some of the biggest names in the UK travel business, has written to suppliers – including resorts and hotels, asking them not to support or encourage these activities. The FTO warned that continuing to do so could mean operators withdrawing their business all together. The Federation of Tour Operators, the trading name of ABTA Ltd, includes; Thomas Cook Group, Virgin Holidays, TUI Travel, British Airways Holidays, Cosmos, Inghams, Kuoni Travel, Lastminute.com and Allbury Travel Group. Currently wild animals are used as photographic props in hotel resorts throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, destinations of high tourist concentration in Spain, Romania, Tunisia, Morocco, Sri Lanka and China and in zoos throughout the world. Facilities highlighted in Born Free’s research include: RIU Hotel Resorts and El Dorado Resort Hotels in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and over 60 other animal ‘attractions’, notably in China: Shenzhen Safari Park, Kunming Zoo and Chime Long Hotel and Safari Park; Thailand: Koh Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo, Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm, Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, Nong Nooch Botanical Garden, Phuket FantaSea, Phuket Zoo, Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo, Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo, The Rose Garden, Tiger Temple and Wat Doi Suthep Temple; Carthage Land Theme Park in Tunisia; the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Natural Bridge Zoo and Kalahari Water Park Resort in the USA; and Safari-Zoo Mentz, Rio Safari Elche, Mundomar and Pola Park in Spain. ****************** Unfortunately South Africa seems to have been excluded from
this list. Everyday in South Africa thousands of wild animals are
posed, picked up and pawed by tourists for photographic opportunities,
with little regard for their welfare or eventual fate when they have
outgrown their usefulness. The list of facilities in South Africa
where animals can be manhandled for a fee are endless, it would be
nice to see these tour operator heavy weights shift their attention
here. |