My purpose is simple: to share little enclaves in the world that perhaps you didn’t know about. Maybe it will give you a new point of view, maybe you’ll be moved to experience it yourself, and ideally, you’ll feel enriched by what is presented.
When I arrived in South Africa, I knew that I absolutely wanted to road trip across the country.
I asked on my Facebook fan page to see if anyone might be interested or able to join me. A lovely reader of mine tagged her friend in the status comments and a few minutes later, we had chatted a bit and cemented a plan. Callum turned out to be a totally awesome road trip buddy, as was expected when on the first night we found out we’re presently reading the exact same book: Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Our first day consisted of visiting the Rhino and Lion nature reserve and the Cradle of humankind, which is site of the oldest known human remains and therefore is regarded as the origin of humans. That’s pretty cool.
The reserve seemed nothing short of awesome. I saw animals I’d grown up reading about in children’s books and in movies like the Lion King. Within a few minutes of entering the reserve my inner six-year-old was so impressed that my levels of euphoria were breaking the odometer, so to speak.
I saw Wildebeests (which is what I jokingly refer to myself as when I take a horrible picture), ostrich, cheetahs, and endangered wild dogs. Most amazing of all, I saw lions, quite up close and personal (check out the video!). I noted their big roaming areas, lack of chains and obvious room to be the wild animals they are. I felt so differently about it than, say Tiger Kingdom in Thailand because these cats are given lots of room, aren’t hit with bamboo poles and the proceeds don’t go towards building a temple. Some locals had also recommended it to me, Google turned up nothing negative on the park, and TripAdvisor had rather glowing reviews, so all seemed well.
I posted about it and, to my surprise, started getting full-on attacked for my photo on Twitter. The comments quickly turned unconstructive and nasty, but since I don’t believe complex and nuanced discussions can happen with 140 characters, I largely ignored the trolls.
That really pissed them off.
What is canned hunting?
I told them I’d provide my thoughts in a blog post, but this post is not for the trolls. It’s for the concerned reader who wants to put his/her tourism dollars in the right place.
Canned hunting means taking cubs from their mothers several days after birth and letting tourists pet them up until a certain age. They are in breeding facilities, or even pubs like in this account, that breed lions for an eventual sale to game hunting operations which let tourists hunt lions for an exorbitant price tag so that they can have pictures next to these majestic creatures like that of Melissa Bachmann.
I find this practice abhorrent and would never intentionally support it. The question is whether I unwittingly did so by visiting the Rhino and Lion Park.
What I found out (or rather, didn’t)
I did some research behind the claims on Twitter, but many of the links sent to me either weren’t relevant to this reserve or said heated words in a PETA-like fashion but didn’t link to any reputable sources on the matter.
I thought about which organizations I really trust on the matter, and elected to look at the World Wildlife Fund South Africa and the National Wildlife Trust, surprisingly neither of whom even touched or addressed lion interaction on their websites. So I sent emails.
I heard nothing back.
I emailed the reserve I visited with the listed concerns.
I heard nothing back.
I was also sent a list of good and bad places to volunteer, but did not find the reserve I visited on either list, presumably because they don’t take volunteers. I contacted the page admin to ask how they compiled their list and was told it was based on their own research and “blogs and opinions.” I asked for clarification on that and was told they’re working on better research practices and that hard facts are very hard to find. I agree with that sentiment and for now, for lack of anything better to go by, would tend to trust their listings.
On Captivity
There’s the argument that animal interaction and zoos allow people to have experience with animals so that they can develop a respect for or at least become more aware of them and the need to preserve their species. Others would argue that any kind of captivity is mistreatment of the animals. I have to admit I’m on the fence on this one because people have led to both the destruction and the preservation of various species of animals, so there is unquestionably a need for some positive and educational exposure, somehow.
Without interaction, I’m not sure how this can be achieved.
In China you can hug a panda, in Australia you can hold a Koala, in Thailand you can interact with elephants, and in Sumatra you can trek in search of semi-wild Orangutans. In all of these cases, the question can be presented, is any animal interaction ethical?
Sometimes lion parks claim to release cubs back into the wild, which is possible up to a certain age, but the question is whether there are many, or rather any, wild lions or places for them to live left in South Africa.
I had been told and believed that the lion would join the other adults in the reserve once it was older since it is fact that males will kill cubs, and that the endangered white Tigers (which the park claimed are there as part of an effort to breed them and grow their population) would eventually go to a zoo or be given their own enclosure.
Perhaps that was naïve.
In conclusion
The fact of the matter is, ethics comes down to opinion. This is why my blog is not chiefly about ethical tourism, because frankly, it’s subjective, and those who think they know more than others on sensitive matters often sit on a pedestal and ridicule those who unwittingly make a mistake or simply see something differently.
People ride elephants in Thailand only to find out later that it’s horrendous for their spines and they’re tortured into submission at an early age, eat a steak from a cow that never roamed freely, buy an iPhone not realizing that the conditions at the factories in China are heinous, or drink a coke not knowing that they’re supporting a company that often takes the only water resource in rural villages in developing countries.
The right thing can often only be done in retrospect.
At the end of this I’m sorry to say that my research is inconclusive. I don’t know that any lion parks are ethical or that 100% of cubs for petting are later shot and killed. However, I don’t want to accidentally support a sinister industry, and rather than cover up my experience, I’m admitting to you that I may have made a mistake.
Since I can’t be sure either way, my personal plan is to seek animals only in the wild from now onward at a safe distance while on safari. What you do is up to you. My job is to present the facts, not hearsay, and to let you decide what you think is right. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any.
I believe there are both good and bad reserves here in South Africa, just like there are good and bad zoos all around the world.
In closing, I’ve said what I have to say on the matter, and this is not a battle I wish to wage any further. I welcome you to leave constructive (but please no attacks – they’re not productive) comments on your position or opinion on what responsible tourism means to you, and how you go about putting your money to the right places when you travel.
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Anonymous says
Thankyou for your post on the question of ethical lion tourism. It is a murky area in South Africa as the spin-off for lion breeders are massive. Neither is the South African government clarifying the grey areas.
I would urge your readers to visit http://www.cannedlion.org as this will shed further light on the subject.
Just for the record 1). WWF advocates trophy hunting as conservation 2). In my tweet that you have posted above I was referring to the lion breeders making money off the cubs misery.
Kind regards,
Christine Jordaan
Kristin says
My problem with canned lion is they cite “reputable animal welfare agencies” but don’t link to any. Lot of claims and no proof. That’s why I didn’t make them a resource.
Simon says
If you are interested there are a few good peer review articles on this. The general consensus among lion conservation biologists is that lion petting/breeding centers result in a poor conservation outcome and deflect much needed resources away from viable conservation activities. The claim of breeding for release is generally unfounded as it has never been truly successful; besides which if the threats are removed lions breed like rabbits so captive breeding is generally unnecessary. I have put some links to these below. There have also been some responses from ‘the accused’ although there tended not to provide a particularly strong counter argument (link also below).There is also a trend for ‘white lion’ or ‘white tiger’ programmes. These are generally considered unfounded as a white lion is simply a leucianic mutation present in almost every mammal species to some degree. In tigers it is a G>A point mutation for those with a genetics interest. This unfortunately looks pretty and so has encouraged breeding and subsequently inbreeding related detrimental mutation (see http://bigcatrescue.org/images/tigerphotos/WhiteTigerDeformed3.jpg). In one region of South Africa the white-lion gene was more common than in other areas and so has lead to an assumption of sub-species classification. This is unfounded. Of course white lions were targeted by trophy hunters so became less common, however the mutations being fixed by breeding programmes, if released into the wild, are likely to be highly detrimental to the wider lion population.
I will not comment on the ethics as this is not my place, however as a conservation geneticist working on lions I feel I can speak about some of the science and conservation results involved in all this. These are just my personal thoughts, although they are generally backed up by the lion research community (with a few exceptions of course!)
https://www.panthera.org/sites/default/files/Guo.2009.lioncaptivebreedinginScience.pdf
http://www.panthera.org/sites/default/files/HUNTER-2012-WalkingWithLions-ORYX.PDF
http://www.panthera.org/node/3389
Best regards
Simon
Kristin says
I later realized that about the white lions. It’s a shame because as a tourist you’d really never know. It’s something you just assume is a good thing- preservation of a species. Wouldn’t have thought to myself, wait, this isn’t really a species.
Tessa Vanderkop says
Hi there, I’m Tessa (condofire) and first I want to apologize for my unkind remarks on twitter. It’s not generally my style and it shouldn’t have been done. Thank you for your thoughtful post and I would just add that Chris Mercer of CACHE would be a great person to talk about this issue. In future I will refrain from unrestrained remarks like that. Take care, Tessa
Kristin says
Hi Tessa, I’m humbled by your comment and the Twitter response since I posted this. The comments did alert me to canned lion hunting, however, so it did spark this research. I’m sorry I just hit dead ends.
Kristin says
There was so much to say that I couldn’t fit because it is already 1500 words! It’s a topic that’s important though and I guess I’m glad I made the potential mistake so that I could look into it.
Nikita says
I can’t believe people reacted in such an agressive manner! But it’s great to see you put a positive spin on it and attempt to do some research (despite the lack of information). Sometimes we just don’t know. I recently had a friend tell me she was looking forward to riding elephants in Thailand… An animal rights advocate, she had just never heard of the horrible treatments they receive. All we can do is inform ourselves as much as possible.
Though I do agree with the idea of only coming into contact with animals in the wild, with the exception of rehabilitation centers. As this post clearly points out, sometimes we just don’t know.
Kristin says
People love a soap box!
Katie T says
I am not surprised that people acted so aggressively. This will happen with any “hot button” issue such as animal rights. I was one of the first to question if you had done your research when you posted on Facebook. I think that it is really impossible to know if these kinds of places are ethical. When it comes down to it, only the people who actually work there will know if there is abuse going on or not. Even if the program puts on a good face to the public and talks of conservation, if they are harming the animals physically or emotionally it is not worth it. But this is just my opinion. Maybe the park you went to was not causing harm (the cubs did not seem sedated, if they were it was very mild), but I still feel uncomfortable with the general public interacting with wild animals. I do appreciate this post though, I am glad that you did your research (even if it wasn’t entirely successful as it is hard to get credible information).
Kristin says
Actually the people who work there appear to know nothing as well! They’re also lied to (if it’s a lie – still no hard proof, though I am very suspicious after silence from the CEO). Unfortunately it is impossible to know so I’m just going to step away and not visit again. It’s sad, though, because it would be wonderful if this kind of thing could be ethical. I have to admit it was really enjoyable and that’s why it’s such a booming industry.
Kaleena's Kaleidoscope says
I really appreciate the way you’ve approached this as I often wonder the same thing about how ethical what I’m doing is. I’ve ridden an elephant at Marine World and later regretted it. I pet a lion cub at some random place in Mexico when they told me it would later be released in the wild but afterward I realized they were probably just lying to the tourists. I’ve watched and enjoyed the dolphin and whale shows at Sea World until I later learned about what their lives in captivity are like. It’s all just a matter of education and rather than sit on their pedestals attacking people, those who are so passionate about the subject, like StopKillingAnimals, should seek to inform the public of the atrocities they claim. Often it’s just an issue of people not knowing the truth. You did your research and did your best to evaluate the situation based on your own ethics and I respect that.
Kristin says
The trouble is when the place lies to you. Of course we should do some research but what if that turns up nothing too? It took a lot of searching to write this and I still found nothing concrete.
By the way, as a kid I LOVED Sea World too and had no idea until The Cove that it was such a sinister place.
I wish Stop Killing would actually be productive but that Twitter account appears to just spew hate and nothing productive. Gotta take the Taylor Swift approach: Shake it off, shake it off.
Jane says
The general rule is that if a human is charging for “access” to an animal, that animal is being exploited, and that includes many many zoos and other seemingly “reputable” “educational” institutions.
In 2015 when so many people have access to the internet, it is inexcusable for someone to say they just didn’t know something was exploitive. If you are skilled enough to have a well-trafficked blog, you are skilled enough to keep up with the news and the news is that 95% of animal exhibits (zoos) are exploitive and 100% of pay for petting, pictures, whatever are exploitive.
Kristin says
That’s half true, Jane. However if you researched every little thing you purchased then you’d be on the computer all day and night and then some. Do you ever wear leather? Drink coca cola? Have Apple products? Eat fruit that wasn’t grown in your own garden? Put gas in your car? Turn on the light? We all have blood on our hands and to pick and choose certain things to get angry over while ignoring that you make mistakes too is unfair. Put the energy you put into leaving comments into actually doing something and then perhaps you can make the difference you wish to see.
Julia k says
Hey Kristin,
Thank you for the post. It inspired me to write about my shameful elephant ridding experience.
Now I do research before I go anywhere that has animals. Recently I found a peculiar detail for the elephant sanctuary that is supposed to rescue them. I was bummed out about the price 200$/person in Thailand. Comparing to Australia prices for actual sanctuary it was a gigantic difference. So I started snooping around and found that this organization had an office in New York City on Broadway. I am all for animals but I am not supporting someone’s NYC extensive lifestyle. Thanks!
Kristin says
Wow it did?! That’s great! You know I had done research as well but I didn’t use the right search terms. I had no idea canned hunting was even a thing. I guess if I had, I would have used those search terms. Goes to show that as far as animal tourism is concerned, there’s a lot more info to throw out there and a lot of people simply don’t know.
What’s the peculiar detail you found for the elephant sanctuary? Is it Save the Elephants? It should be less than $80 per person for an afternoon trip.
Rebekah says
Oh I like this post. We really only can do the best we can and its so hard to know whether your money will be used for good or bad. I hate when people try to show each other up or prove that they are MORE ethical then other people.
Your pictures are making me miss africa!
Kristin says
I do as well, which is why I wanted, just a little bit, to point out that it’s never helpful to do that.
Samantha Taylor says
Well written. I’m super impressed that you were open about everything, offered up the idea that you may have made a mistake (but you’re not necessarily sure – and so you sought to figure it out), and laid everything out there. Anyone who throws rhetoric and unfounded politic in your face without backing anything up has not really graduated to the level where they can effectively have and contribute to this conversation! And as such, you are right to ignore them. Hopefully you get some well-thought out commentary alongside all that junk, whether it is supportive or critical.
On a side-note, I’m not sure if you’ve ever done a safari-type trip, but since you mentioned it in your post, I wanted to say — I did a safari in Tanzania and it was one an amazing experiences!! Just breathtaking. Seeing the animals in the wild was incredible, so I am sure you will not be disappointed. I also did a “tiger sanctuary” thing in Phuket, and it was cool as well, but found myself in the same confused and “am-I-being-misinformed?” state as you did after you received all the backlash from your post.
Anyways, I enjoyed reading, as always. Check out the latest post (Nepal-related!) from my travel blog if you get a chance! I’d really appreciate if you did – I’m soliciting feedback and I’ve already had a few bloggers pitch in. I’m maybeeeeee considering starting a proper blog (*eek*!). Anyways, it’s here if you get a chance: http://www.thewanderingheartblog.tumblr.com.
Cheers,
Sam
Kristin says
I would really like to do a safari in Tanzania in particular!
Start the blog. It’s a big commitment but it’s worth it.
Samantha Taylor says
I think I will. I’m just on Tumblr right now though, I’m not sure of how to go about setting myself up permanently, and more importantly, how to gain and maximize readership!
I think I read somewhere that you’re going to Tanzania soon – am I right? And is a safari in your plans then?? 🙂
Sam
Amanda says
Very good post on a very hot topic – it’s often SO difficult to decide whether any organization that holds animals in captivity is ethical or not. And, as you found out, sometimes it’s impossible to truly “do your homework” before visiting.
I’m very careful these days, but I’m ALSO careful about not automatically berating people who visit places like this. Sometimes it just boils down to a lack of education. I’d much rather send a friend a link to my post about why you shouldn’t ride elephants if they post a photo of them doing it in Thailand than call them a disgusting idiot in a public forum. The nasty comments definitely don’t help anybody – or the animals.
Kristin says
I try not to berate anyone either. I’ve told people before who wanted to ride elephants that it is bad for them, but that at the end of the day I wasn’t going to push my opinion on them and it was their choice. I just wanted them to have the info before making that choice.
Drew says
Kristin Hi…
I was sent a message last night asking to please be in touch. I just wish I received it sooner…sorry you had to go through what you did on twitter, it was uncalled for really. It makes a lot of us who fight daily look like absolute crazed lunatics.
Many of us in SA are very passionate about what is happening to our lion & the exploitation is rife, the daily fight to save cubs & adult lions seems like a never ending battle…many days we feel we are winning…& then there are days where it is too much to bare. Having said that…you should have been given a chance! It is like a breath of fresh air to come across someone such as yourself who stops to question after they have been given information…so hats off to you!!!
If you are still in SA I would be open to chat to you, if not…we still have email! Thanks for your blog…I hope that it makes people out there think twice about supporting the ‘lion parks’ in SA.
Kind Regards
Drew
@Makwela1
Kristin says
Thank you for your kind comment and for the support.
Tessa Vanderkop says
I think at the end of the day we all stumble on things we had NO IDEA about. I found out about ‘canned lion hunting’ two years ago and was horrified. I have animal loving friends looking forward to walking with lions as a ‘must have’ travel experience and then you tell them about it and they can’t believe it. The truth is there is so much that goes on it’s hard to keep track. I would like to emphasize that it’s important to share and work together to identify these issues and talk about them and my short tempered twitter remarks don’t further those conversations but I’m happy we’ve all learned something. So thank you.
Julia says
I loved the Thinking Fast and Slow book sooo much! Kahneman is both an amazing author and researcher.
I found this very interesting. Like you, I strive to be an ethical tourist, but sometimes it can be hard to find facts!
Kristin says
It’s a great book!
Sam says
This topic is so fascinating! Thank you for writing openly and honestly about this.
I even had a hard time with environmental/animal tourism in Tanzania while on safari. When in Ngorongoro crater the lions came right up to our vehicle and slept in the shade. At one point we had five lions surrounding us, it was truly mesmerizing. Then it hit me, all of these ‘wild’ lions are comfotable enough to walk up to human made and manned vehicles and relax in their shade.
Later that evening, we were sleeping in our tents right outside the crater when an elephant attempted to steal potatoes from our food truck. This really struck me. It reminded me of camping and having to put food in bear cans and how bears are now much more comfortable with people in a lot of locations.
When is an animal truly wild? To what extent can we interact with them? Are we aware of how our actions can greatly alter a lifsyle of an animal?
There is so much to learn from animals and observing them can be truly life changing. I am not sure there will ever be an answer to what extent we can interact with the wild.
Kristin says
I thought that on Safari in Sri Lanka too when we got so close to the wild elephants.
Jo (The Blonde) says
I like how serious you are about it and that you are trying to make a difference. I am sorry that you received so many bad comments. You don’t deserve them.
I must say, I don’t think that any kind of petting of animals, that were born wild and suppose to live in the wild, is OK.
Veena says
I completely agree that “responsible tourism” means something different to different people, and I appreciate how open and up-front you are about what your take on it is. And this post informs your readers a lot about your character as a traveler and as a person — many people would have engaged in that debate on Twitter and been entirely unsuccessful in getting their point across since, as you mention, you cannot properly debate in 140 characters; not many people would write such an open and honest post about the actions you took since finding out that there might have been issues with your visit. I’ve been following your blog for roughly 8 months or so, and I will now be an even more faithful reader because of your honesty and candidness.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your travels in South Africa, and I can’t wait to see where you end up next!
Veena xx
Kristin says
I have to admit I finally did engage when I shouldn’t have after one of the Twitter trolls lifted some of this out of context and continued to call me an idiot on Twitter even after writing this. I should have resisted but after two weeks of the berating I broke down. Not my proudest moment!
I really appreciate your readership and incredibly kind comment <3
Kristin says
That’s my trouble as well. I really enjoyed interacting with the elephants when I visited the one I wrote about in Chiang Mai. They’re rescued and already domesticated, but since then a friend has pointed out that when the elephants are bought from mahoots or from the logging industry, they’ll just be replaced. By saving one another is going to be put in his place. Made me wonder.
Nigel says
Thanks for sharing! Wouldn’t blame you for ignoring the trolls but instead you took a much more mature approach and decided to educate yourself and others on the matter. I rode an elephant a few years ago in Thailand and I personally wouldn’t do it again. On my first visit here I saw it as part of the experience and I was oblivious to they way they were treated. It wasn’t something I considered at the time. I had a conversation with a friend about how travelers, I think are becoming much more aware of the impact they have on the local natural environment and what their money is going into.
Posts like this are going to be a great resource!
Ashley says
Thank you for this post- it was very interesting and opened my eyes to canned hunting and other various issues.
I always wondered whether these types of reserves and parks were ethical when I would hear of people visiting them while I traveled in South Africa, and it seems it’s almost impossible to know.
I have to admit I went cage diving with Great White Sharks in SA and was ignorant to the many issues associated with the activity at that time. I’ve educated myself about the issues further and I’m still on the fence about it, but I definitely wonder whether or not I made a mistake.
I love that you said “the right thing can often only be done in retrospect”- it’s very true.
Mindy says
Really good post. Your barometer for deciding what’s ethical for you sounds very similar to mine. I ask myself a very simple question, when it comes to animal tourism: By participating in this activity, am I forcing an animal to behave in a way that contradicts their natural behavior.
The answer to this will almost always keep me from being close enough to touch. Watching their natural behavior from a distance is now the most fulfilling experience for me 🙂
Megan says
I used to work at an accredited Big Cat sanctuary:
Here is the link for more information: http://www.bigcatrescue.org
They give many helpful insights to the big cat and conversation world. Hope this helps!! And loving all the blog posts about SE Asia!
GG says
I work with wildlife biologists and environmentalists for a living and have had similar discussions about treatment of dolphins, seals, killer whales, and sea lions at aquariums and other types of facilities involving dolphin interaction in Florida. I am into travel and found your site and photos amazing. I know your focus is on travel but wanted to compliment you on your sensitive and professional handling of the ethically touchy subject of balancing proper treatment of wildlife with educating those on it to encourage conservation. As you can see the wildlife experts and biologists know the real impacts of these actions and how the best of intentions by those less knowledgeable can lead to the opposite and sometimes harmful results, but how can anyone else know and there is so little evidence one way or the other for much of this (especially if not endangered). You have impressed me even more about how intelligently you have addressed this issue (gathering evidence, considering all angles, realizing the complexity), grappled with it personally (may everyone have the ethical strength you have to go through this sincerely and then decide to make a behavioral change), and took something negative (trolls) into something great for your readers. You did so wonderfully that you got an apology from one of the harshest critics!
Best wishes in your future travels and you are one high quality person!
GG
P.S. My friend and I who had one of these aquarium/zoo discussions came to the same conclusion as yours.
Kristin says
Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I’m glad you read it and feel good about what I wrote. I agree it’s so hard to find good info and I wish that it was easier. Same goes for just about every product that you can buy or even food item that we eat. Where did it come from? Is it sustainable? How was it produced? It’s enough to make one’s head spin!
Alyne Tamir says
“so there is unquestionably a need for some positive and educational exposure, somehow.
Without interaction, I’m not sure how this can be achieved.”
Millions of people love and respect wildlife without having to pet it and take a photo. right?? Wildlife channels, childrens books, and stories teach a love and respect for wildlife.
Anyways, an animal expert person once told me, “if theyre letting you pet the animal as a tourist, its probably not ethical”
wild animals are meant to be that, wild
the story of their mothers rejecting them sounds like just that- a story for tourists. do you really think that many mothers are consistently rejecting their cubs? so tourists can take photos with them for money?
I honestly think you know the real answer to this question, i totally understand its hard to resist though especially when cute animals are involved.
i emailed my animal conservationist friend to ask her thoughts so hopefully she gets back to me and ill share her response here 🙂 maybe it is fine after all!
xxalyne
Kristin says
As I said in the post, I don’t have answers to everything, and I’ll select my animal encounters more carefully moving forward.
In the conclusion I noted that my personal plan is to seek animals only in the wild from now onward at a safe distance. I am DONE talking about what I should have already known and figured out beforehand. I’m only human, after all.
Brian says
lol…good to know that xxalyne has all the answers to the ills in this world; all she has to do is get her friend’s opinion first! 😀
Brian says
Holy virtue-signaling batman.
How about not act like a sith lord and only deal in absolutes? If the place you’re petting lion cubs sells them for hunting – take your business to a place that doesn’t.
Claiming all lion cub petting is horrendous is laughable. People that bother to learn about and experience the lions are probably the same people that become the advocates for them in the future.
It wouldn’t surprise me if these same Twitter idiots previously visited and pet the cubs themselves.
#hypocrisy