Have you ever dreamed of riding an elephant or taking a selfie with a tiger? For most people, it's something that they'd really want to do since getting up close to exotic animals is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, behind this popular industry of animal tourism are evil practices that you might want to know and here's PETA revealing some of them to the world.
Tiger Enclosures. Thailand is known for the Tiger Kingdom, which allows tourists touch tigers and take pictures with them. But what people don't know is that these tigers are tortured and drugged just so tourists can interact with them. In fact, it's even practiced in China before. Metro even reported that a Siberian tiger was tied down while kids were riding it.
Swimming With Dolphins. Dolphins travel for thousands of miles in the open sea, so just imagine how they would feel living in a small pool? Oftentimes, these mammals are also taken away from their families in the wild and are forced to learn tricks just to entertain people.
Zoos. Not all zoos are bad, but most of them don't have the capability of housing animals such as lions, giraffes and tigers. For example, a healthy giraffe named Marius was put down in Copenhagen Zoo because there was not enough space to nurture it. What's worse is that they fed Marius' remains to lions.
Orca Performances. Just like dolphins, Orca whales are migratory animals and it really affects their way of life being enclosed in concrete tanks. According to Daily Mail, a lot of these animals die early because of the stress caused by their living conditions.
Monkey Shows. Chimpanzees are often used for entertainment because they're smart in following commands. However, after the shows, these animals are put into small cages for days which is just the total opposite of their natural habitat.
Elephant Rides. This is a popular attraction in Asia, but what people don't know is that in order for an elephant to do this, their spirits are broken first. Baby elephants are taken away from their mothers and are tortured to follow commands.
Before you plan your trips, make sure you do your research first. Try to avoid these cruel tourism destinations and find better alternatives.
