Why you need to stop taking pictures with animals on vacation!
As the Creative Lead for NOMADNESS Tribe I love all the pictures we get tagged in daily! They are beautiful, they are inspiring and we appreciate all our followers spreading their melanin goodness for the world to see ! I come across so many dope pictures of travelers and animals and I want everyone to understand why I don’t repost most of them.
Certain establishments abuse animals when we can’t see and in plain sight! In efforts to educate all travelers as much as possible I created this check list to help determine whether or not a place should be supported within your travel itineraries.
1. DO THE PLACES HAVE SANCTUARY OR ANIMAL RESCUE IN THE TITLE?
The title let’s you know immediately whether a place is ok to visit or not!
Example : Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Thailand — Ok
Tiger Kingdom Thailand — Not Ok
And even then you still have to do research on these places! Look at their website, check their social and read customer reviews on trip advisor and any other platform! Do your research!
2. IS THE ANIMAL CHAINED AND LIFELESS?
If the animals have to be chained around their neck and limbs 9/10 they aren’t being treated fairly. If the animal has little movement they are probably drugged and sedated or malnourished to the point of exhaustion.
Ask yourself, would this Tiger really be calm with me standing over it? Or would it see me as a threat and try to rip my head off?
3. IS THE ANIMAL CONFINED TO A CAGE OR SMALL SPACE?
At Little French Key in Roatan, Honduras the Jaguars are literally walking beside you during different times of the day. They have the freedom to roam the premises, get in the water, play with other Jaguars etc.
They do have spaces that they are confined to at night, to keep them from hurting the other animals at the rescue center. Notice these things when visiting with animals.
One might ask why the Jaguars don’t see humans as threats? A lot of them were born there so they know the humans, they coexist.
4. IS THE ANIMAL DISFIGURED OR DISCOLORED?
You can often tell if an animal is being abused by the way their physical appearance looks. If an animal is not it’s natural color, if it has things like burn marks and scars, if its ears, toes, eyes feet or any part of its body has bruising or is missing, there’s an issue.
A lot of these things seem obvious but if we aren’t looking out for it , its easily missed!
The moral of the story is that we do better when we know better, and now that you know, it’s up to you to make a difference and share with others. We all travel, and we all want the perfect picture for social media, but at what cost?
Cheers to amazing travels my friends!
