How to be an animal-friendly tourist

The easiest way to make sure you’re not indirectly contributing to animal exploitation is to book travel and activities through a company that prioritises animal welfare.

Both Intrepid Travel and Explore have the ethy Cruelty Free Experiences label, which means they’ve put animal wellbeing at the top of their agenda.

Before you travel, check WAP’s Animal Protection Index, which scores every country on its legislation and policy commitments to protecting animals. This will give you a good idea of the key animal welfare issues at your destination, and this information can help you make more informed choices about your activities.

For example, Thailand has a very poor record for the exploitation of elephants, which are often used for rides and performances. If you do want to see elephants while you’re in Thailand, research ethical ways of doing so, such as visiting sanctuaries and wild observation points.

Don’t ride on elephants, participate in lion walking experiences or pay for pictures with chained or otherwise restrained animals. You don’t need to touch these amazing creatures to appreciate their awesome beauty.

Any attraction that subjects animals to cruelty for entertainment purposes, such as circuses, dancing bears, dog or cockerel fights, or bull fighting, can never be ethical, no matter what operators might say. Many of these activities are often considered part of local culture, but culture is never an excuse for cruelty.

Ideally, you’ll view wildlife where it belongs… in the wild! However, some conservation zoos run important breeding and protection programmes designed to shield and care for species with the view to releasing these animals or their offspring into the wild – and they often depend on ethical tourism to support their efforts.

But not all zoos are created equal, and many keep their animals in poor conditions with their basic needs denied. Meanwhile, some species simply cannot survive in captivity, such as dolphins and whales.

Thoroughly research any zoo you intend to visit and if it doesn’t conform to high welfare standards, give it a miss.

Many restaurants in tourist-heavy areas try to capitalise on the ‘when in Rome’ attitude of visitors by selling supposedly ‘authentic’ dishes and cuisines. But these often include endangered animals or involve inhumane production methods. Avoid! Instead do your research ahead of time and opt for local fruits and vegetables or other dishes you know are genuinely local and don't harm any animals.

You’ll find tacky souvenirs in abundance wherever you go, but take care to avoid anything made from fur, ivory, shells, seahorses, teeth, rhino horn or turtle shells. These materials are often obtained via illegal poaching.

Why not decide to take photos instead as your special something from the trip, this way you save money and carbon emissions, help to protect animals and have a great memory from the trip!

Animal exploitation in the tourism industry can only be wiped out if demand for it disappears.

As well as making good choices yourself, you can help others make animal-friendly travel decisions by spreading awareness and leaving positive reviews for companies and attractions doing things right, and negative ones for those that are contributing to the problem.