Animal Welfare

Dealing with animals during your trip

During the trips provided by Untamed Travelling, we avoid activities with captive animals, such as camel rides or elephant rides. We do offer excursions where animals can be observed in a responsible way, for example during safaris in nature parks and at accommodations that actively contribute to animal welfare. We focus on small-scale, unique experiences and avoid crowded locations as much as possible.

Advice to avoid animal suffering (dont’s)

• Avoid direct contact with wild animals: don’t pet tigers, don’t walk with wild felines such as cheetahs, tigers and lions, don’t swim with (trained) dolphins, don’t visit cuddle farms and don’t be photographed with (sedated) predators, wash/feed elephants
• Do not attend performances or shows with wild animals, including in markets, such as dancing bears or deer hanging around your neck from a snake
• Do not take rides on wild animals, such as elephants or ostriches
• If you go diving or snorkeling, be careful not to touch the coral: marine animals are very fragile and die by touch and when they break off
• Don’t buy souvenirs made from endangered animals (such as ivory, coral, turtles, bird feathers or shells) or plants: you can find a list on the Dutch Customs list
• Avoid dishes and local (oriental) medicines, which are made from endangered animals, such as shark fin soup, turtle soup and shell eggs or bushmeat

Advice to prevent animal suffering (do’s).

• Visit a wildlife refuge where no direct human-animal contact is possible
• A wildlife safari is the best way to get acquainted with wild animals is to see them in their habitat: always keep appropriate distance, make little/no noise, do not chase the animals, do not lure them with food and do not leave litter behind
• Whale and dolphin excursions: choose a responsible organizer that respects the animals and their habitat, keeps a distance, does not hunt or feed the animals. Whale tourism can be a sustainable alternative for many local communities and contribute directly to whale conservation
• Buy sustainable and animal-friendly souvenirs that are not made from wild animals and benefit local communities
• Support or visit local (conservation) projects that benefit both people and animals
• Take part in active ecotours, combined with education, where a guide/expert provides information about the surrounding nature and also ensures that nature and wildlife are not disturbed

Activities with Elephants:

Activities with elephants are often offered in Asia (Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal and Thailand). The best place to see elephants is in the wild, where they can roam freely and exhibit their natural behavior. If you choose to visit a location with elephants, make sure that the welfare of the animals is paramount, i.e. have enough space to exhibit social behavior, forage for food and live without chains or forced interaction with tourists. World Animal Protection has created elephant-friendly guidelines based on the principle of “look, don’t touch. These guidelines encourage providers to shift to observation-based experiences rather than entertainment:

• Not elephant-friendly: riding, touching, washing or bathing, cuddling, taking selfies, shows or tricks (e.g. painting) and feeding (baby) elephants without a barrier. Such activities are only possible because elephants are often heavy-handedly trained to obey humans
• Well elephant-friendly: when visitors can only watch from a distance, elephants can roam freely and exhibit social behavior there are no performances or entertainment, the focus is on education and conservation, there are no tourism breeding programs, elephants are not permanently tethered