2022
This Thursday it is World Animal Day. A great opportunity for us to stand still by the welfare of animals, in particular animals in tourism.
Please join me, by sharing your stories. Personally, I think there are lots of good and bad examples. Let's raise awareness and exchange our thoughts and feelings on this topic.
My Bad Story:
A few years back I was traveling in Costa Rica. When I was on the Caribbean coast, I decided to join a "night beach safari" to see the famous sea turtles lay their eggs.
We were told this was an eco-friendly tour and were given special red lamps, so not to disturb the female turtles doing their business. It was a very special experience, that unfortunately left me with a strong feeling of guilt.
We were in a fairly large group and were taken to the beach by a certified guide. Whilst we stood as a group taking pictures of the enormous turtle; huffing and puffing whilst she was digging a hole in the sand, and laying her eggs, I stood back and looked behind me.
On the beach, we were not the only group forming a line of people, standing between the ocean and the various female turtles that had come up the beach. My guess is that there were at least a hundred people spread out over the beach. All with their backs to the sea, looking at a turtle.
As I looked towards the surf, I noticed a large female coming ashore, faced by a wall of people, where she wanted to go. After some hesitation, she sadly turned around and went back into the sea.
As a tourist, I had disturbed an endangered species who was planning to lay her eggs that evening...deeming her breeding grounds unsafe by the presence of me and all those other tourists. 😞
My Good Story:
In Uganda, I went to see the mountain gorillas. At the National Park we gathered early in the morning at a mountain gorilla ranger-station. Before we would set off tracking some gorillas in the jungle, we received an obligatory lecture about the animals.
This presentation included information about the conservation program by the National Park, the relation with the local farmers, the education in local schools and last but not least: instructions how we should behave in the presence of these mighty creatures.
Each tourist had paid roughly 500 USD per person for the experience to track the gorillas in the jungle and see them up close. After the obligatory presentation, we all realized it was money well spent...the actual encounter in the jungle was priceless!
My experience in Uganda made me realize that not all safaris are bad. The same can probably be said for zoos. And what about animal shows or swimming with dolphins?
Share your good & bad stories about animals & tourism!
Notice:
Your contributions may be featured in a Facebook Live Broadcast and its (recap) recording on YouTube. By participating in this post on Local Guides Connect, you give the author permission to share your response.
Feel free to join me in one of the special World Animal Day - Local Guides World - Meet & Greet broadcasts here on the 4th of October.
