Klook, one of the leading online travel companies, has launched an animal welfare policy to end the sale of circus-style performances involving elephants, dolphins and tigers.
The policy will come into effect by the end of October 2023, ramping up pressure for more travel companies to follow suit as travellers seek more cruelty-free travel options.
World Animal Protection Head of Campaigns ANZ, Suzanne Milthorpe said:
"We welcome Klook's progress, and what is a good first step in implementing an animal welfare policy. We hope to see the company keep moving towards eliminating all cruel wildlife attractions from its platform, and work towards a fully responsible tourism future to give their customers peace of mind when booking with them.
"We urge all tourism industry players to take responsibility for the activities and venues they promote, and work with us towards a future where tourism is responsible, sustainable, and does not contribute to wildlife cruelty."
World Animal Protection's 2023 Holidays that Harm report found that over 1,300 wild animals, including elephants, tigers, and dolphins, are being exploited for tourist entertainment in inadequate conditions across Bali and Lombok. The report also found that the majority of the wildlife entertainment venues investigated didn't even meet the basic needs of the wild animals being kept there.
Elephant riding and bathing, wildlife selfies with orangutans, swimming with dolphins in artificial pools, and tiger shows were found to be some of the cruellest wildlife attractions offered to tourists.
World Animal Protection's recent Real Responsible Traveller report also found that despite increasing demand from travellers for responsible tourism options, many of the world's largest tourism operators including GetYourGuide, Traveloka, Trip.com, TUI/Musement and Klook were selling low-welfare wildlife venues across the globe.
Suzanne Milthorpe added: "Unlike Klook, who have started working to end the demand for cruel wildlife experiences, GetYourGuide, Traveloka, Trip.com and TUI/Musement are continuing to support and sustain these experiences. These companies are choosing to profit from wildlife suffering and are not keeping pace with other global travel companies like Virgin Holidays, Airbnb, Booking.com and now Klook who are taking steps to protect wild animals caught up in tourism.
"We are seeing a global shift in attitudes towards wildlife in entertainment, with most travellers wanting to do the right thing, and book holidays free from cruel captive wild animal experiences.
"More and more, we're seeing travel companies following the demand for cruelty-free travel, with companies like Airbnb. Booking.com, Intrepid and World Expeditions, and over 130 others globally end sales to cruel captive performances. We will continue to encourage Klook to remove other close interactions with elephants such as bathing and feeding, and truly become a wildlife-friendly travel company."
In addition to the companies named above that are directly selling cruel wildlife experiences, some companies, such as Tripadvisor, Expedia and Air New Zealand, continue to sell accommodation at low-welfare and cruel wildlife venues, fuelling demand for wildlife exploitation and suffering.
Key Facts:
- Eighty two percent of people interviewed in our 2022 global poll (over 23,000 people across 15 countries) believed that tour operators should not sell activities that cause suffering to wild animals[1]
[1] World Animal Protection (2022) Global online survey of 23,726 people across 15 countries (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, Spain, South Africa, Kenya, China, India, Thailand, Canada, the USA, Australia, and Brazil). Survey commissioned to Savanta.
About us:
About World Animal Protection
World Animal Protection is the global voice for animal welfare, with more than 70 years' experience campaigning for a world where animals live free from cruelty and suffering.
We have offices in 12 countries and work across 47 countries. We collaborate with local communities, the private sector, civil society and governments to change animals' lives for the better.
