Wildlife. Not entertainers

Do you love to see wildlife when you travel? You’re not alone.

But did you know that wild animals around the world are facing a lifetime of suffering, just to entertain tourists?

Over 500,000 wild animals across the world are snatched from natural habitats, forced into captivity and subjected to abuse, both mentally and physically, in the name of entertainment and profit.

Sadly, many tourists who love animals may actually contribute to animal suffering because they are unaware of this hidden cruelty.  Whether it’s riding an elephant, walking with lions, or swimming with dolphins – these might all seem like fun ways to interact with wild animals when on vacation. In reality, they cause intense suffering and pain for the animals involved.

Join the movement

Join the movement to help protect animals today. By working together, we can help end the suffering of wild animals in the name of tourist entertainment for good.

As a thank you for taking our pledge, we'll send you a link to download our animal-friendly pocket travel guide, including this checklist. You can print the guide or save it to your phone or any device, so you'll have it handy on your next trip.

Changing the world, together

Petitions take just seconds to support and can be incredibly powerful.

In 2018, over 240,000 supporters worldwide signed our Wildlife Selfie Code. Our campaign also inspired Instagram to take action and raise awareness of the suffering of wild animals caught in the entertainment industry.

In 2016, 558,000 supporters signed our petition asking TripAdvisor to stop selling tickets to cruel wildlife attractions. They listened. They have stopped selling tickets to some of the world’s cruellest tourist activities, and their website now hosts a new education portal, that will educate millions of tourists about the cruelties imposed upon wild animals by exploitative attractions. 

We will continue our work throughout 2022 and beyond to protect wild animals from cruelty in the name of entertainment.

Travellers are changing their attitudes towards wildlife tourism

• 89% believe wild animals belong in the wild
• 87% would prefer to see animals in the wild
• 81% said people should not make an income from keeping wild animals for entertainment, if the animals suffer

This study was commissioned by World Animal Protection and conducted by KANTAR PUBLIC via TNS online omnibus from 21-26 August 2014 and 12-16 January 2017 and 24-28 January 2019. Sample 37,121 across 12 countries. A total of 3,067 Canadians were surveyed. Data was weighted to be representative by age, gender and region within country.