TripAdvisor stops ticket sales to inhumane wildlife attractions

Wildlife attractions such as elephant rides or picture taking with lions and tigers are not only physically demanding for the animals involved, but also psychologically traumatic for them as well. According to a report by National Geographic, travel and tourist website TripAdvisor has been pressured to halt all ticket sales to wildlife attractions.

In response, TripAdvisor has stopped all ticket sales to these attractions, and has since taken a proactive stance towards encouraging animal welfare. Working with wildlife protection groups and organisations such as PETA and Global Wildlife Conservation, TripAdvisor aims to help improve the health and safety standards for animals, “especially in markets with limited regulatory protections” according to a statement by TripAdvisor CEO, Stephen Kaufer.

Under their new policy, tickets for children’s petting zoos, horseback riding, aquariums, zoos and animal sanctuaries—places where there is supervision and positive practices—will continue being sold. “We believe the end result of our efforts will enable travelers to make more thoughtful choices about whether to visit an animal attraction and to write more meaningful reviews about those attractions,” says Stephen.

TripAdvisor will stop selling tickets for selected wildlife attractions with immediate effect, and ticket sales of the remaining attractions will cease by early 2017. An education portal—a collaborative effort between TripAdvisor and the wildlife protection groups—will be launched around the same time. However, all animal attractions, including those that are no longer bookable through TripAdvisor, can still be reviewed on the travel website and will be linked to the education portal.