Wildlife Tourism Isn’t Always A More Ethical Choice.
Wildlife tourism isn’t always a more ethical choice.
I often see people who are under the assumption that wildlife tourism is free from ethical concerns, or that it’s inherently a more ethical choice than visiting a zoo/aquarium.
Wildlife tourism encompasses a wide variety of activities that involves watching wildlife in engage with their natural habitat. This includes safaris, whale watching, birding, photography tours, and a host of other activities. Wildlife tourism by itself can be an ethical way to see wildlife, however that is not always the case. There’s actively many harmful parts of wildlife tourism, that people may overlook since the animals are “free.”
So.. what would be some examples of unethical wildlife tourism?
- Whale petting in Baja Mexico. This activity actively contributes to the habituation of whales and disrupts their natural behaviors. Habituated whales are at a higher risk of encountering boat strikes - which can lead to physical injury or even death.
- Fake/bad acting sanctuaries. Sanctuaries are not always ethical, and many advertise activities such as elephant rides, elephant bathing, and advocate for people to touch/hold animals. The training methods they often utilize use fear or coercion, this is often actively stressful to the animals, and can be particularly dangerous to the tourists engaging with these animals.
- Swimming with whales. Studies show that commercial swim with whale tours can negatively impact the behaviors of some baleen whale species. These behaviors include avoidance and decreased rest time.
Spoiler: Injured wildlife
Is there ethical wildlife tourism?
Absolutely! Wildlife tourism should be done with respect for the animals. There should be careful steps taken to avoid habituation and harassment of wildlife.
Some of my favorite options include visiting a national park, bird watching, and doing careful research to find ethical whale watching companies. Additionally, many AZA accredited zoos offer animal interactions that are done in a safe & non-stressful manner for the animals. These may even include giraffe feedings and up close educational encounters.
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please stop calling the california sea lions that are acting abnormally “demonic”. they are experiencing domoic acid toxicosis. domoic acid (DA) is a neurotoxin that is made by an algae called pseudo-nitzschia australis. fish eat the algae and the sea lions eat the fish. this buildup of DA in their system is what causes the behaviours we’re seeing. symptoms of DA toxicosis include: lethargy, disorientation, unpredictable behaviour, seizures, brain damage, and eventually death.
as far as we know, there have only been two unprovoked sea lion attacks on beaches. the vast majority of sea lions with DA toxicosis are not aggressive unless provoked. they are disoriented and they are acting out of fear.
DA is naturally occurring, but the algal blooms of pseudo-nitzschia australis have been increasing due to rising temperatures from climate change and water pollution. we are doing this to them.
affected sea lions seem to have pretty much a 50% chance of survival with treatment. they need IV fluids to flush out the toxin and some will need seizure medication as well. the marine mammal care center is completely overwhelmed with the amount of sick sea lions they are taking in and they need funding to keep up. you can donate to them here.
always stay at least 45 meters / 50 yards away from marine mammals! it protects both them and us!
J63 is the first southern resident calf born in 2025 and likely the first calf of J40 “Suttles”!
unfortunately, southern resident calves have around a 50% mortality rate within their first year of life. a lot of this seems to be from a lack of food availability due to overfishing and disturbances from boats.
right now, under the trump administration, FWS and NOAA are trying to change the definition of “harm” in the endangered species act in a way that would weaken environmental protections. this will severely impact the already endangered and struggling southern resident population. calves like J63 will have even lower chance of survival if this proposed rule goes through. public comments to oppose this decision are open until may 19th.
more information + suggested talking points for public comments here
submit a public comment here
source: center for whale research
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