A Family's Guide to Wildlife-Friendly Travel
We love kids, and kids love animals! Unfortunately, not every venue that features animals show them the love and care they deserve. We've put together this guide to help your family make more ethical, animal-friendly travel choices.
Avoid captive animal venues – show your kids how to be heroes to wildlife.
Here are some common reasons families may visit animal venues that are worth rethinking.
"Zoos promote conservation. Without them, hundreds of animals would go extinct."
Reality: Zoos exist primarily for our entertainment. Most animals held in zoos are not endangered or even vulnerable. More concerning, almost none of the animals bred in zoos will ever be released into the wild. Even under ideal circumstances, it is nearly impossible to captively breed and release species such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and elephants. The best way to conserve animals is “in situ” -- “in the original place.” This means protecting animals living in the wild by conserving their habitat and protecting them from the wildlife trade and hunting.
"Zoos and aquariums are educational."
Reality: Visiting a zoo does not result in meaningful behavior change. Zoos claim that visitors are inspired to protect animals and conserve nature. However, there is no substantial research to support this claim. Instead, there are many studies finding that zoo visits do not result in sustainable behavior change.
"But my kid likes going to the zoo and aquarium!"
Reality: Many children have a natural love for animals. But zoos, aquariums, and other captive animal facilities display animals in unnatural situations, deprived of their natural social structures and habitats.
When you visit zoos with young children, you may be unintentionally teaching a very detrimental lesson that it is acceptable to subjugate animals for entertainment and keep them from being free. As parents, guardians, and teachers, we have a unique opportunity to show children how we can all responsibly visit and protect animals.
Instead of normalizing suffering via zoos, bring your child to an accredited animal sanctuary where they can observe wild animals from a distance or even cuddle with farmed animals.
"Wild animals are happy in zoos."
Reality: Wild animals suffer in zoos. It is not possible to meet the complex physical, social, and spatial needs of a wild animal in captivity. Many animals in captivity experience severe psychological suffering. Decades of research has documented that wild animals living in captivity experience osteoarthritis, obesity, and dental problems. Whether in a cage or an enclosure, it is not possible to replicate the space and freedom these animals enjoy in the wild. Even accredited sanctuaries acknowledge that the care they provide is no substitute for life in the wild. Even if it looks like animals have enough space and are cared for, cruelty can lurk behind the scenes. Some zoos and facilities offer animal experiences, where visitors are allowed to ride, touch, or otherwise interact with an animal, or staff lead animals through performances. Make no mistake – these are examples of cruelty.
Wild animals have a right to a wild life, and your travel choices can make a difference!
Book your vacations with wildlife-friendly companies.
Only book through companies that have animal welfare policies and do not sell harmful wildlife experiences.
- Do book with: Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, The Travel Corporation, Education First, TripAdvisor, G Adventures, or Intrepid.
- Do NOT book with: Groupon, GetYourGuide, TUI, or Trip.com
For more recommendations, check out our list of responsible travel companies.
Choose wildlife-friendly animal experiences.
Whether on a day trip or a vacation, if seeing wild animals is on your family’s itinerary, make sure the venue you choose does not allow direct interaction with animals (such as bathing, riding, feeding, touching, or posing with them). Instead, look for:
- Accredited or genuine wildlife sanctuaries: these rehabilitation facilities and rescue centers have the highest possible standards of care for animals and don’t permit commercial breeding. Check out the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries for a list of accredited sanctuaries.
- Responsible wildlife watching: observe animals in their natural environment from a safe and respectful distance without luring or chasing them or in other ways interrupting their natural behaviors.
- Certifications or endorsements from World Animal Protection's Elephant Friendly Guidelines, Whale Sense, Wildlife Heritage Areas, World Cetacean Alliance, and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
Our recommendations:
We recommend several organizations and venues that ensure a fantastic animal experience without animal suffering:
Teach your family the Wildlife Selfie Code!
You may have noticed the growing trend of selfies with wild animals on social media–but these vacation pictures don’t show the full picture. Animals, like sloths, are often stolen from their natural habitats and forced into noisy, chaotic environments to pose for tourists. Make sure your wildlife selfies are cruelty-free and learn the Wildlife Selfie Code.