As exciting as petting tigers and swimming with dolphins may seem, these types of interactions can be negative if the organization providing the activity is irresponsible.

Deception

A major negative effect of animal tourism is deception. Some organizations claim to be sanctuaries so tourists who want to support animal conservation spend money there. In reality, these visitors who value animal welfare could be unwittingly contributing to the exploitation of the same animals they are trying to help. Many of these organizations purchase wildlife on the black market, profit off of animal abuse, and do nothing to aide in conservation. Street performers are even known for “greenwashing”, or telling positive stories about their animals to reassure skeptical tourists.

Physical Harm

Tourists can also be physically hurt when directly interacting with animals. For example, riding elephants is a popular tourist attraction in Thailand, but the trauma induced by torturing the elephants into submission can make their aggression unpredictable. Tourists have been thrown off and trampled by rogue elephants who had previously never exhibited aggressive behavior. Within a six month period in 2016, six people were fatally attacked by elephants in the tourism industry.

Even caged animals pose a threat to tourists. A woman in Zimbabwe sustained serious hip and arm injuries after a lion attacked her through the separating fence. And in San Francisco, a Siberian tiger mauled three men, killing one, after escaping from its zoo cage.

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Sources:

Boyle, D. (2017, February 14). Tourist mauled by hungry lion on Zimbabwe safari. Retrieved from
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4223890/Tourist-mauled-hungry-lion-Zimbabwe-safari.html

Daly, N., & Phootgraph. (2017, October 05). Exclusive: The Amazon Is the New Frontier for Deadly Wildlife Tourism. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/10/wildlife-watch-amazon-ecotourism-animal-welfare/

Holmes, O. (2016, February 04). Thai elephant attack puts spotlight on abuses in animal tourism trade; Animal welfare activists hope the death of a British man this week will prompt Thailand to take action on elephant rides, tiger parks and primate shows. The Guardian. Retrieved from Nexis Uni.

Lovett, E. (n.d.). Five Shocking Zoo Attacks. Retrieved from
https://abcnews.go.com/International/shocking-zoo-attacks/story?id=16814294

Malm, S. (2016, June 03). Tiger Temple monks charged by Thailand’s police after another discovery of
dead tiger cubs. Retrieved from
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3623537/Thai-police-charge-22-wildlife-trafficking-Tiger-Temple.html

Photo by Weasyl