Next time when you plan a trip to the wild or forts, do not expect an elephant to carry you all the way. Neither can you hope to be entertained by dancing monkeys in the hotels, or pose for selfies with wildlife. On Monday, World’s largest travel site, Trip Advisor, has announced that it will no longer sell tickets to attractions around the world that are considered cruel to wild animals as elephant rides, swim-with-dolphin experiences, and venues that allow tourists to pet tigers and other exotic cats.
Its decision comes after an 18-month protest campaign by the World Animal Protection advocacy group, that garnered signatures from over 558,000 supporters across the world. Their campaign was in protest against how TripAdvisor for continuing to promote cruel wildlife attractions in its tour itinerary.
In India, too, renowned tour operators as Trans India Holidays, are joining hands with their global counterparts to take Animal Friendly Pledges and integrating conservation practices with their business.
According to Shubhobroto Ghosh, Wildlife Projects Manager- India, World Animal Protection, these so called "wildlife attractions" have been found to be traumatic experiences for the animals concerned, reducing their lifespan and causing physical and psychological damage.
Further, catering to increasing number of tourists also means that more animals get captured from their natural habitats and kept in torturous captivity. The elephants in particular, go through a process known as a 'crush', whereby they are crammed into small cages and often beaten with Ankush or nail studded sticks, says Ghosh. Posing with wildlife for selfies is becoming an in vogue trend. But tourists seldom realize the dangers they are exposing themselves to as well as the respective animal.
"We have taken a conscious decision to remove elephant rides from our list of excursions offered as a part of our package for tourists, from this season beginning from October," says Kapil Goswami, MD, Trans India Holidays. It is a tour operating agency that operates in India besides the neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bhutan.
Elephant rides ware particularly common during tiger sighting /sightseeing at Kaziranga National Park in Assam or Chitawan National Park in Nepal or during trips to Amber Fort, in Ajmer. "If tourists demand elephant rides, we discourage and do not pre-book for them as before," he says. Next year, camel rides are being proposed to be stopped.
The tourists are also encouraged to visit conservation sites as the Bear Conservation Centre, in Agra or the Guruvayoor Elephant Rescue Centre in Kerala. Here, the tourists get an opportunity to spend a day with such animals, and learn more on them, says Goswami.