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In April 2017, Responsible Travel became the first travel company to stop promoting any holidays that included a visit to a zoo. Their reasons are centered around the education value of zoos, how much is spent on conservation efforts and what percentage of zoned animals are endangered. This is a very courageous decision from a […]
Is getting “too close for comfort” a thing for birds? Yes totally! And if you look and listen, they even tell you when. It was such a bright and luminous day and the perfect day to go a nearby beach, observe some of our protected birds and take some snaps for one of our coming […]
The Red Apes of Bukit —How Ethical is Orangutan Tourism? After 2 days flying across the world, we finally arrived! We were now few miles away from where some of the last Sumatran orangutans survive. Maybe a mother and her infant were even peeping through the canopy across the river right when we were opening the door of […]
A friend and I were chatting ‘over’ ethics. The context was our species’ fascination of a limitless growth model, showcased for instance in our expectations with respect to our human biology (e.g., our quest for biological immortality), as well as exhibited in our modern economies and business practices. I remarked about our difficulties at defining […]
I am so happy to have gained a better understanding of what it takes to be an ethical wildlife volunteer. This has been and still is an ongoing journey into realizing that our actions are not always ethical –not because we don’t want to be but rather because we don’t know– and that organizations may not […]
In ‘the moment’, and when too excited by the experience, it’s very easy to forget the proper rule of conduct. Keeping a respectful distance is not just for your safety but is also about theirs (including their health). By not following the rules we are inconsiderate and unethical. Take this example of human recklessness when visiting a […]
The common public ‘rhetoric’ these days about zoos is: zoo changed and they are now good for both conservation and the collected/exhibited individuals. Well then good! But the topic is not an easy one, after all this is really about ethics and of course, as ethics goes it’s tedious and painful at times (remember the […]
Recently, when interviewing a young EwAnaut friend about her volunteer experience, I was reminded of how harmful not-knowing can be. Our friend had just returned from volunteering in an accredited African wildlife conservation rescue organization. This was a good ethical experience and this made a difference on so many accounts compared to the too numerous […]
Is volunteering in a wildlife rescue center or sanctuary a bad idea? Not at all! It all depends on the species you will work with and on the legitimacy of the organization itself. But first, it requires the volunteer to do his/her homework and research the organization and the species. Here are few things to keep in […]
Often volunteers look for and ask us about missions where they can interact with wild cats. And more than often we hear that the motivation for joining projects allowing these types of interactions is a way for them of affirming their love for these cats. But by getting so close to them, are we really helping those animals we love so dearly? […]
