TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRECONSIDERATIONS

Most of us do not consciously want to harm animals when we plan our leisure activities. But even the purchase of a ticket supports and encourages the provider to continue to offer the activity with animals without at least improving their living conditions. When you decide to take part in  an activity that involves animals, you already cast a clear vote for the offered activity.
So think twice whether the activity you are looking for is really necessary or whether there is an animal-considerate alternative or a comparable activity that does without animals.
Unfortunately, there is no overarching seal distinguishing the animal-friendliness of entertainment activities. However, we can be vigilant in our approach to the different activities, and limit their negative impact on animals.

Their approach to welfare in zoos and aquariums consists of providing effective veterinary care and appropriate food, while allowing animals to behave close to how they would in the wild.
Depending on whether they’re territorial or not, animals have different needs in terms of space and stimulation, and zoos can mimic their natural environment more or less successfully.

For example, it might be more challenging for a zoo to replicate an elephant’s natural environment, as in the wild, these animals have a home range of between 11.000 to 400.000 square kilometers. Similarly, carnivores (polar bears, tigers, lions, etc.) need large spaces that are hard for zoos to provide. On the contrary, small mammals such as rabbits need very little space.

As a consumer, you can encourage zoos to show primarily animals whose needs can be met by life in captivity by discarding infrastructures with large wild animals.

Another alternative is game enclosures, where native animals and species are kept in large areas and visitors can walk directly through the enclosures on predetermined paths.
Often these trails are designed as nature trails and offer a lot of information about local flora, fauna and ecosystems.

For more information, contact your local Animal Welfare Organisation → or nature conservation group. 

In captivity, animals can develop psychological or physiological problems because they can not act as they would in nature (by running, flying, climbing, roaming, socialising and finding a partner, etc.). Contact with humans can endanger animals, by provoking stress, or introducing diseases or dangerous objects in their enclosure.

Removing their freedom and ability to follow their instincts can lead to dramatic consequences.

The risks are that animals hurt or kill each other, or that they become violent towards visitors, sometimes to the point of endangering their lives. Large mammals such as gorillas and bears live on territories larger than 40 square kilometers. When they are confined in a cage and subjected to the pressure of constant visitors, they cannot retreat to lower their level of mental stress and might as a result become aggressive towards each other or people.

Marine mammals for example, like dolphins and orcas, who live in vast bodies of water are swimming in circles in tanks that are the equivalent of bathtubs for them. In a tank, their sonar waves, that allow them to navigate in oceans, bounce against walls and objects, generating a lot of noise and driving some insane.

When aquarium visitors touch marine animals, they can put them in danger by contaminating the water of their tank, causing them stress or by leaving objects behind that the animals might swallow.

• Some of the most famous circuses, like Circus Krone, Cirque du Soleil, Swamp Circus and Les Colporteurs offer entirely animal-free shows.

• Several European countries have decided to ban wild animals in circuses. According to Four Paws this is the case for Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, England, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, The Netherlands, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
  A more detailed list can be found here on Four Paws.

• You can find the latest news on European circuses and support animal-free campaigns on Stop Circus Suffering.

• An innovative way to provide circuses’ spectators with breathtaking animal shows is through holographic technology. German Circus Roncalli sets a precedent by using gigantic 3D animals to oppose animal cruelty and amaze European publics.

HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES

Sitting in a horse-drawn carriage is an activity that many views as romantic and appealing. It brings us back in time and gives us a glimpse of the way our ancestors travelled. Horse-drawn carriage rides are often presented as tourist attractions to discover cities. Unfortunately, drawing people’s carriages in cities can be harmful to horses when these are not treated in a species-appropriate manner, which seems difficult to guarantee, as there is no labelling system existing. 

ALTERNATIVES

There are several alternatives to horse-drawn carriage rides to discover a city in a special way.

• Renting bikes: Many cities offer bike-rental services which give you the opportunity of discovering an area at your own pace and in a special way. 

• Bus tours: Look for the operators offering tours on buses powered by electricity, for the most environmentally-friendly options.

• Renting a classic or historic car for a picturesque experience: a simple web search can help you find local rental services for collector cars. And don’t forget to look for those that consume little gas, to keep your carbon footprint under control.

Challenges

Horse-drawn carriage rides come with a range of harmful impacts on horses, which we list hereunder.

• Pulling a carriage on the hard pavement during long periods of time can cause horses leg problems and be very painful for them - and they are not able to rest in the pasture long enough to recover. For example, in New York (USA), the 200 registered carriage horses only get to spend five weeks a year walking on something other than the pavement that damages their hoof.

• Being exposed to heavy traffic pollution can be detrimental to horses’ health and lead them to develop respiratory problems.

• There is always a risk of an accident between carriages and cars, where horses and humans could be severely injured or killed. 

• Long hours of “work” on very warm and very cold days can compromise horses’ health with illnesses, overheating and dehydration. In summer, the pavement temperature can be up to 37°C than the air temperature, and severely damage horses' hoofs and legs. On top of that, it is often difficult for operators to guarantee sufficient hydration, as drawing-horses can lose up to 38 litres of water when they “work”. Some local regulation exists to address high-temperature issues, such as the one enacted in 2019 in New York that prevents horses from “working” when the city is too warm and humid.

• Loud road noise can be very harmful to horses. Road noise levels being up to 100 times higher than a simple conversation noise can cause stress and hearing loss. 

• Training a horse to draw a carriage takes time and energy, while results cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, horses bought by operators to draw carriages often have several years of farm work behind them and are used to draw tourists until they go back to farms or are sold for slaughter - leaving these animals with no retirement prospects.

For horse races, dog races, and rodeos, there exists alternative activities that are equally exciting without putting animals’ physical and psychological well-being at risk.

• Human races: athleticism competitions offer a range of exciting activities to watch or perform in, at all levels. Sports in general are a great alternative to turn to, and can also offer gambling opportunities for those interested in this aspect.

• Sanctuaries & Accredited Zoos ↑, some of which may be the home of animals rescued from the entertainment industry.

• Donate your time and energy to animals rescued from races or rodeo circuits, in your local shelter.

• Many horses are given drugs, including painkillers and steroids, to boost their performance and ignore pain and existing injuries.

• During their career, racehorses can be purchased by a dozen different owners, which prevents them from forming a bond with trainers or other horses.

• Between races, they are kept in small stalls and can be denied proper time to rest.

• As they don’t handle surgery well and cost a lot in veterinary bills, racehorses are often sold for their meat and euthanized if they suffer a severe injury.

• When they are not racing, greyhounds are confined in a small kennel or a cage for the majority of their days.

• When racing, these dogs are put under a lot of pressure, both physically and psychologically.

• Greyhounds can be severely injured or even die as a result of participating in races (broken legs, back, or head trauma, for example).

• Despite their low resistance to extreme temperatures, greyhounds may be transported or forced to run in very cold or warm environments, which can be deadly for them.

• Greyhounds may be drugged to improve their performance or to silence their hormones and keep them focused on the race.

Animals fighting each other and humans for entertainment purposes can come to an end. As a consumer, you can stay away from all types of cruel sports, and contact the local authorities if you witness such activities in an area where they are illegal. While violence can never be recommended, aggressivity can be channeled in different ways that do not involve harming animals or humans.

• For example, you can practice martial arts or fight sports such as boxing, kickboxing and MMA, or play video games.

• In the same way, gambling on cruel sports can easily be replaced by betting on human sports or playing in casinos, and is an entertaining alternative that does not harm animals.

• In bull runs, bulls are released in a city and chased around by spectators, which often results in injuries both for the animals and humans.

• Bullfights fuel the tourism industry of the concerned countries, and it is this cruel practice that is often encouraged by tourism agencies.

• When they are pushed to fight each other, dogs inflict severe injuries that often lead them to die in the ring or shortly after.

• Fighting dogs suffer cruel treatments outside of the pit too: they are kept chained by their owners, who often starve and provoke them to bring about aggression and survival instinct.

• Training practices push the dogs to their physical and psychological limits, and may involve other animals to serve as bait.

• Many of the dogs are drugged with steroids, and can have their teeth sharpened and ears cut off to make them even more ferocious adversaries.

• When they win a fight, dogs are forced to combat again and again, and to breed relentlessly for profit.

As of today, there exist no global standards governing wildlife tourism, therefore many facilities are in a grey zone. However, that you can still make a conscious decision for or against participating in an activity, we have compiled some aspects you should take into consideration before purchasing your ticket.

Animal protection does not stop at borders. Everywhere in the world, there are animals in need of help. But people’s attitude towards these animals is regionally very different. It often depends on religious, cultural or traditional customs, some of which differ from typical European customs and views. Unfortunately, in many countries animal protection is not very important, and tourists are often confronted with the topic of animal protection involuntarily.
Here are the most important aspects to consider:

The German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund) has put together a detailed checklist for tourists to help us in avoiding activities that could harm animals.

We have translated it for you:

CHECKLIST: ANIMAL WELFARE DURING OUR HOLIDAYS

• Stay-away from all hands-on experience with animals.

• Don't visit animal parks where animals are only presented for the amusement of the public and their species-specific behaviour and needs are not taken into account. 

• Before visiting any animal sanctuaries, check on the internet or with animal protection organisations to see if they can be taken seriously. 

• Do not go on animal attractions such as elephant rides. This is always associated with cruelty to animals. Last but not least, the animals are also a danger for the holidaymaker himself.

• Do not go to bullfights, religious or other festivals where animals are mistreated. Cultural tradition is not a licence for cruelty to animals.

• Do not buy souvenirs for which animals die or suffer, such as crocodile leather bags, teeth, shell products, furs, ivory carvings or even live animals such as birds or monkeys. They should be rejected not only on moral grounds but also for reasons of species protection and customs law.

• Do not have your pictures taken with animals, especially exotic or cute baby animals - this puts the animals under enormous stress. 

• Even if it is difficult - do not buy an animal out of pity. Every animal you buy free is immediately replaced by another one.

WITNESSING ANIMAL MISTREATMENT
Should you observe that an animal is mistreated or kept badly:

• Talk to the person responsible and try to point out in a friendly but firm way that the animal is suffering. If this does not help, document the situation of the animals photographically and send the photos together with a detailed description to local police authority. In addition, you should inform a local animal welfare association of the grievances. 

• Start signature campaigns and submit them to the relevant authorities.

• Complain to tourism associations that advertise with questionable offers. The more often they are confronted with the abuses, the less they can turn a blind eye to the issue of animal welfare.

FOOD ABROAD

If you go out to eat or prepare your own food during your holiday, make sure you focus on vegetables, fruit and vegetable alternatives to meat, eggs and dairy products. In many countries, there are no laws on animal husbandry, or the regulations do not meet the standards we are used to in European countries. They may also be looser or simply disregarded. However, there are several services that will help you to find local restaurants serving (some) considerate options.
Here’s a list of some service providers. Happy Cow, Vanilla Bean or the Vegan V-Label

• They are kept from expressing natural behaviour.

• Cubs that tourists can cuddle with are taken from their mothers days after their birth. This leads to stress for mother and child and can in the long term lead to psychological damage and behavioural disorders.

• Wild animals perform tricks, give rides or stand passively while people take selfies because they have been trained, with physical and psychological violence from a very young age.

• Paying for taking photos or approaching wild animals can encourage the illicit trade of wild animals.

CERTIFIED MOVIES

Watch out for the popular American Humane Association’s (AHA) “No animals were harmed®” label. This label means that the AHA was present on set through a representative, to look out for the treatment of animals. However, as the association is not supervising animals’ conditions outside of sets, there is space left for harmful treatment in housing or during training, where harm often occurs.

While it it might require some additional checks, the AHA offers a list of movies with detailed assessments of animal cruelty on set, openly stating the limits of its action when needed.

ANIMATED FILMS

With the technologies available today, we, as consumers, can favour movies and tv shows without real animals involved. Solutions like computer-generated imaging and animatronics (animated puppets) allow for movies, tv shows and advertising to display the magic of animals without them having to be real.
The website IMDB, for example, offers a selection of animatronics movies, many of which include animals.

DOCUMENTARIES

Another solution for the most passionate about animals is to look away from movies and shows involving animals, and to focus on documentaries about them. What is more fascinating than watching animals in their natural environment, behaving in accordance with their instincts? Check out our page about Animal Welfare Movies & Documentaries →.

Learn more

Here you find additional information about Animal Charity → and Movies & Documentaries →
Check our sources: Bibliography →

Have we forgotten anything?
We definitely want to do better. Please get in touch with us and help us to improve this website. We look forward to hearing from you!