They’re all over instagram – tourists in photos holding monkeys or sloths, or patting a tiger, but what really lies behind these seemingly innocent pictures?
Pic by World Animal Protection & Rachel Ceretto
As tourism booms around the world, animals are often treated cruelly in attractions aimed at visitors. Unsuspecting holiday-makers may not realise that the price of an elephant ride or a selfie with a precious tiger, monkey or dolphin may be the safety and welfare of the animals themselves.
In this episode of ExtraVirgin, we talk to Ben Pearson of global organisation World Animal Protection. Ben explains the cruel treatment of animals used in these sorts of attractions around the world and advises what animal-loving travellers can do about the problem.