Previous
CAPTIVE ANIMALS DRUGGED, MUTILATED AND RESTRAINED FOR HOLIDAY ‘SNAPS’
Added: (Thu Aug 21 2008)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAPTIVE ANIMALS DRUGGED, MUTILATED AND RESTRAINED FOR HOLIDAY ‘SNAPS’
UK TRAVEL INDUSTRY SUPPORTS BORN FREE CAMPAIGN TO END ABUSE
Leading members of the UK travel industry have thrown their weight behind a campaign launched by the international wildlife charity, the Born Free Foundation, to stop the mistreatment and misuse of wild animals exploited by photographers in holiday resorts around the world. Investigations by Born Free reveal that wild animals such as lions and tigers are often drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them “safe” to handle.
Unsuspecting tourists in resorts and holiday hotspots across the world unwittingly take part in such photo-opportunities, unaware of the cruelty and suffering involved. Clients pay between £1.50 and a staggering £20 for a photograph holding, stroking or sitting on a wild animal. Investigations reveal the disturbing truths behind each ‘cute’ picture: lions and tigers, drugged, declawed and chained to tables; alligators passed from one person to another with their jaws wired shut; monkeys on tight leashes, paraded along beaches and dressed as superheros. These are just some of the horrific practices reported to Born Free.
Daniel Turner, spokesperson for Born Free, explained, “These activities can severely damage an animal’s welfare. They are quite literally a novelty prop, prematurely separated from their mothers, kept in poor housing conditions and when they have outgrown their use, dumped in slum zoos, circuses or summarily killed. In addition, these are wild animals and therefore unpredictable. The hotels or ‘attractions’ rarely inform participants of the risks to public health and safety.”
Alarmed by Born Free’s findings, the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) which includes some of the biggest names in the UK travel business, has written to suppliers – including resorts and hotels, asking them not to support or encourage these activities. The FTO warned that continuing to do so could mean operators withdrawing their business all together.
Turner welcomed the news, “The Born Free Foundation is greatly encouraged by the decision by the Federation of Tour Operators to support our zero tolerance campaign which aims to stop animal ‘attractions’ and hotel resorts from participating in this form of animal abuse.”
Numerous recorded incidents of direct contact between humans and animals have resulted in injury or even death. No matter whether the animal has been wild-caught or captive-born, juvenile or adult, male or female, wild animals are potentially dangerous and can pose a real risk to any tourists foolhardy enough to have direct contact with them.
The Federation of Tour Operators, the trading name of ABTA Ltd, includes; Thomas Cook Group, Virgin Holidays, TUI Travel, British Airways Holidays, Cosmos, Inghams, Kuoni Travel, Lastminute.com and Allbury Travel Group.
FTO spokesman, Chris Thompson, Head of Responsible Tourism for the Federation of Tour Operators, explained the organisation’s stand: “It is our collective goal to ensure that captive wild animals are not mistreated and misused in any way when they are kept for the purposes of exhibition to, or interaction with our customers during their holiday experience. In particular we are eager to eradicate instances where animals are used solely for the purposes of entertainment without any real benefit to the individual animal or its species. We have asked suppliers with whom we work, to cease the use of animals as photographic props and help us to work with the local authorities to remove similar occurrences in all public places.”
Currently wild animals are used as photographic props in hotel resorts throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, destinations of high tourist concentration in Spain, Romania, Tunisia, Morocco, Sri Lanka and China and in zoos throughout the world. Facilities highlighted in Born Free’s research include: RIU Hotel Resorts and El Dorado Resort Hotels in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and over 60 other animal ‘attractions’, notably in China: Shenzhen Safari Park, Kunming Zoo and Chime Long Hotel and Safari Park; Thailand: Koh Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo, Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm, Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, Nong Nooch Botanical Garden, Phuket FantaSea, Phuket Zoo, Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo, Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo, The Rose Garden, Tiger Temple and Wat Doi Suthep Temple; Carthage Land Theme Park in Tunisia; the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Natural Bridge Zoo and Kalahari Water Park Resort in the USA; and Safari-Zoo Mentz, Rio Safari Elche, Mundomar and Pola Park in Spain.
Daniel Turner, appealing to members of the public for their help, said; “Here at the Born Free Foundation, we investigate captive animal neglect and expose cruelty, working with governments and the travel industry to prevent animal suffering and improve lives of animals. We are sure there are many more facilities that are abusing animals and endangering the public in this way. We need to hear from compassionate members of the public who have witnessed animal cruelty during their holidays and, with the support of the FTO and responsible travel companies, we will do our best to investigate and prevent suffering. Call us now on the Travellers’ Animal Alert Hotline 0845 003 5960 to provide us with the details, or alternatively send us your report via our website www.bornfree.org.uk/TAA. You can help us make a difference to animals in need.”
FOR PRESS ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:
Shirley Galligan, PR Director T 0207 792 9668 M 07773848352
Angelique Davies, PR Officer T 01403 327836 M 07799 814025
For images please visit Born Free’s FTP site: ftp://87.86.161.66/
Editor’s notes:
Issues concerning the exploited of animals for the purposes of making money from the sale of photographs:
Welfare concerns:
Young animals such as lion and tiger cubs are often removed from their mothers at a very early age and used as photographic props until they are too large to handle, at which time they may be sold or killed and replaced with a new cub.
The stress of repeatedly handling wild animals often has a detrimental effect on their health and welfare.
Wild animals used as photographic props are frequently drugged and immobilised, which has serious health implications. Drugs may be concealed in props such as baby’s feeding bottles.
Many potentially dangerous animals reportedly have their mouths wired shut, or are chained so tightly that they are barely able to move for many hours at a time.
Many animals, particularly big cats, are declawed in order to protect human participants. Declawing is a painful and damaging surgical procedure in which not just the nail but a portion of bone is removed; in some cases tendons are also severed. Declawing is illegal in the UK and many other countries (including the USA for primates and large carnivores) as it often results in chronic pain and permanent lameness and disability.
The canine teeth of some animals may also be removed or filed down to make them more ‘safe’ to handle. This is a painful procedure which can cause chronic health problems. As with declawing, the removal of canine teeth in large carnivores and primates has been banned by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Public health and safety:
● Risk of physical injury
Despite the fact that potentially dangerous animals are restrained, drugged or mutilated to reduce risk to the participant in the photograph, contact with captive wild animals must never be underestimated.
● Risk of transmission of diseases from animals to humans
Many diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans. These are referred to as zoonotic diseases or zoonoses. There is a wealth of evidence to suggest that direct contact with animals poses a significant risk of zoonotic disease transmission which may result in serious illness or even death. Despite this, many animal attractions are seemingly unaware and fail to publicise the risks, or implement preventative measures to minimise disease transmission.
In a survey of 1,410 human diseases, 61% were found to be of potentially zoonotic origin (Karesh et al, 2005). Approximately 75% of burgeoning or 'emergent' human diseases are also zoonotic (Brown, 2004). People who have contact with animals are unlikely to be aware that they can be infected by each fish, amphibian, reptile, bird or mammal they touch.
About Travelife Animal Attractions Handbook
The Federation of Tour Operators has published the Travelife Animal Attractions Handbook, which has re-affirmed their long-standing commitment to improving animal welfare standards. The guidelines, prepared with the help of leading animal welfare organisations and industry associations, cover situations where customers interact with animals as part of their holiday experience. The aim is progressively to raise standards of animal welfare, promote the importance of conservation, eradicate poor practice and eliminate activities which do not contribute to the protection and conservation of the species in the wild. The Handbook can be viewed at www.its4travel.com