Animal tourism

When I was a child I loved elephants and wanted nothing more than to ride an elephant one day. Now that I’m an adult I much more aware of the cruelty surrounding animal tourism. Though I’m going to admit now, I have participated in it. A few years ago I went to Indonesia with a friend who really wanted to go to an animal safari. I wasn’t particularly interested but with her insistence I came along. Below is a photo of me holding a baby orangutan.

I wonder how old he was before being taken from his mother?

It pops up in the news often, recently a man was killed by a 'tame' elephant. Thanks to the internet people are becoming wiser on the topic. Why is it so terrible? Because of the torture and stress these animals have to endure daily in order to entertain the masses. Animals are being taken from their mothers at a young age and forced to perform, give rides to people and are sometimes sedated in order for us to have our photos taken with them. The statistics are shocking too, there are more tigers in captivity than in the wild.

This is another case of supply and demand, if we stop supporting these injustices towards animals then it will happen less. No sentient being deserves this treatment. The same goes for circuses and places like Seaworld. I have vowed to never to support these kinds of trades again, and I hope you can too. Places like Indonesia and Thailand are still amazing without needing to ride an elephant or take a photo with a drugged up tiger. Enjoy the amazing food, traditional performances and beautiful scenery!