When you go on vacation, you may want to visit some animal attractions in that country. Many of these are incredibly abusive and the animals are treated badly and in many cases, abused or tortured.
If you go to these cruel attractions, you are literally funding the abuse to continue.
There are some attractions that are obviously cruel such as bull fighting, but there are less obvious ones that these are carrying on as people pay to visit these cruel attractions. If people stopped paying to go to these attractions, they would fade away as they are only doing this for money. They don’t care about the animals.
Some people say that all zoos are cruel, but I have to disagree to an extent. In fact many zoos have breeding and conservation programmes that actually save animals. Some animals would be extinct if it wasn’t for zoo’s and programmes like this!
Some zoos are cruel and they don’t look after the animals well or give them tiny enclosures, but not all are like this! Do your own research on each zoo.
Here are some of the animal attractions to AVOID on vacation as they abuse the animals.
These are just a few, as there are many attractions that have animal cruelty. Do your research in advance.
Horse Racing
Horse racing is highly abusive and should be banned. Horses are whipped, mistreated, pushed to limits and killed when they are injured. They are pushed so hard they often haemorrhage blood into the lungs. Some even use electric shocks on the horses! They kill horses that aren’t up to racing standard. This is called “wastage”. It is incredibly cruel and you should NOT visit.
There are tons of websites you can visit with more information on this such as PETA, World Animal Protection, Horse Racing Kills, Horse Death Watch, Animal Aid and many more.
Elephant Rides
They abuse the Elephants that you ride on, and stick bull hooks and nails into them as well as taking baby Elephants from their parents, to torture them and “break” them so that people can ride on them… It is a very cruel business.
They also use a metal stick with a spike to beat the animals.
You are sitting on an animal that is suffering and needs help, not you sat on it’s back!
Stop riding on animals full stop.
You can read more about this on PETA, World Animal Protection, CNN, and Wildlife SOS.
Dancing Monkeys
They are kept in tiny cages and in chains all their lives. They are treated horrifically and the only time they get out of their cage is to perform for you! Forced to learn to walk like humans and ride bikes, all for your entertainment. They are abused when they don’t do it right so they try their best. Stop paying for this abuse.
You can read more on PETA, and Wildlife Watchdogs.
Swimming With Dolphins (or any other animal)
These places that let you swim with dolphins or other animals such as whales, beluga’s etc, are cruel. They are not smiling, that is their face! They are kept in small enclosures and all they do is pose with humans and swim in a tiny pool. They are taken from their families and forced to perform for you!
The care they have behind the scenes isn’t great and they are kept in tiny enclosures.
You can read more on PETA, and World Animal Protection.
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is very cruel and still being done. The bull is stabbed until it bleeds to death or dies from trauma. This is watched by many paying visitors and is nothing other than cruel and needs to stop.
You are funding this cruelty if you watch.
You can read more on Humane Society, PETA, and League Against Cruel Sports.
Holding Baby Tigers
This is sadly very popular and increasing as influencers do this also.
The animals are kept in very poor conditions, in tiny cages, where they are constantly being handled for photos with strangers. Very common in many places, especially Thailand.
You can read more on World Animal Protection, The Independent, and PETA.
