{"id":64031,"date":"2024-04-18T06:36:33","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T13:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/?p=64031"},"modified":"2025-08-25T13:13:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T20:13:55","slug":"charities-we-love-peta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/charities-we-love-peta\/","title":{"rendered":"CHARITIES WE LOVE: PETA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charities We Love is a series featuring inspirational charities from around the world. At We Are Travel Girls we care about giving back and hope this spotlight will help our readers discover organizations committed to bettering our planet.
\n<\/em>This week we are excited to feature PETA<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Many of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather and wool, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved, nor did we ask ourselves, \u201cShould animals have rights?\u201d<\/p>\n

Quite simply, the answer is \u201cYes!\u201d Animals deserve to live free from suffering and exploitation.<\/p>\n

\"Elephant<\/p>\n

About PETA <\/h2>\n

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA<\/a>) entities work to end speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. They <\/span>focus on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business.<\/p>\n

Our goal is to transform people\u2019s attitudes toward other sentient beings and eliminate the abuse inflicted on them. All animals have the capacity to suffer\u2014in the same way and to the same degree as humans do. They feel pain, pleasure, fear, frustration, loneliness, and parental love. Every animal is someone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since PETA U.S. was founded in 1980, the group has become the world\u2019s largest animal rights organization – and PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally. Led by founder Ingrid Newkirk and with predominantly female staff, PETA entities are dedicated to making this world a better place for all living, feeling beings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credit PETA.org<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve exposed the horrific animal experimentation industry, which has led to many firsts, including the closure of laboratories, the rescue of animals, and the filing of criminal charges against laboratory workers and experimenters.<\/p>\n

PETA U.S. also closed the largest horse-slaughter operation in North America, convinced dozens of major designers and hundreds of companies to stop using fur and other animal skins, ended all car-crash tests on animals, helped schools switch to innovative animal-free dissection tools, and provided millions of people with information on being vegan, caring for companion animals, and countless other issues.<\/p>\n

When it comes to tourism and entertainment, PETA entities are leading the movement to end animal exploitation for human amusement. From elephant ride providers and marine parks to cub-petting operations that tear baby animals away from their mothers, businesses that see these sensitive, complex individuals as tourist attractions will always ignore their wants and needs.<\/p>\n

Animals are often subjected to terrible physical and psychological abuse. They never get a vacation.<\/p>\n

\"PETA
Image Credit PETA.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Abuse in the Tourism Industry<\/h2>\n

Animal Rides in Egypt<\/h3>\n

You may have seen photos on Instagram or on travel blogs of people riding camels or horses in front of Egypt\u2019s iconic pyramids. But what those photos don\u2019t show is the misery these animals endure in the tourism industry.<\/p>\n

Camels are social animals. When free to roam in their natural habitat, they live in herds and communicate with each other through sounds and various head, neck, ear, and tail movements. As a sign of friendship, camels will sometimes blow on each other\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n

Horses are also herd animals. In nature, they spend time with other horses in large groups and mourn when their companions die. Horses graze in meadows, play, and travel great distances. Like camels, they have their own needs, wants, and interests.<\/p>\n

But camels and horses who are exploited for rides never get to do any of the things that are natural or important to them, and they are subjected to terrible violence. Recent PETA Asia expos\u00e9s revealed the horrific abuse of animals forced to haul visitors on their backs or in carriages at tourist sites in the blistering heat without access to food, water, or shade.<\/p>\n

At Egypt\u2019s pyramids and notorious Birqash Camel Market, PETA Asia captured video footage of camels being hit in the face and on the testicles and left with bloody, fly-infested wounds. One camel was tied to the back of a truck and dragged down a street. When camels become exhausted from constant forced labor and can no longer give rides or be used as photo props, they are often slaughtered and sold as meat.<\/p>\n

At Giza and Luxor, PETA Asia witnessed horses with open sores and severe, untreated injuries\u2014including broken legs\u2014trying to subsist by eating from garbage dumps. In one nightmarish scene, handlers beat a horse who had collapsed from exhaustion while being forced to haul a tourist in a carriage. The workers kept beating her until she finally managed to get back up. Eyewitnesses report that she was quickly put back to work even though she had been severely injured by the fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

PETA Asia is urging Egypt\u2019s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to step up and ensure that horses forced to give rides are at least<\/i> provided with shade, food, and water. Following PETA Asia’s appeals, some electric vehicles have been rolled out to replace horses who are worked to exhaustion at Egypt\u2019s tourist sites. PETA Asia will keep pushing until all camels and horses are free from a life of hard labor.<\/p>\n

\"Camels<\/p>\n

Marine Parks<\/h3>\n

Aquariums and marine mammal theme parks like SeaWorld prey on tourists who want to see animals up close. But every ticket to these abusement parks funds a billion-dollar industry built on the suffering of intelligent, sociable beings who are denied everything that is meaningful to them\u2014all in the name of entertainment.<\/p>\n

Wild orcas and other dolphins live in large, complex social groups and swim vast distances every day in the open ocean. In captivity, they can only swim in endless circles inside a cramped tank\u2014the equivalent of a human living in a bathtub. They\u2019re denied the opportunity to engage in almost any natural behavior and forced to perform meaningless tricks. Many die far short of their species\u2019 natural life expectancy.<\/p>\n

Dolphins, whales, and other marine mammals – who are frequently housed with incompatible tankmates\u2014are often drugged to manage stress-induced aggressive behavior and relieve the endless monotony of swimming in circles. They break their teeth by chewing on the metal bars and concrete sides of their tanks and are forced to perform tricks for tourists in exchange for food.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re tempted to book an \u201cinteractive\u201d program, don\u2019t. Touch tanks and \u201cswim with dolphins\u201d and \u201cpaint with dolphins\u201d experiences are intrusive, stressful, and dangerous for the animals who are forced to participate in them. They\u2019re risky for human participants, too.<\/p>\n

Animals in petting pools are frequently exposed to foreign bacteria and other pathogens, and they can become anxious, frustrated, and even aggressive from being confined to shallow tanks and exposed to constant interaction with humans. Members of the public have been bitten and injured at SeaWorld\u2019s dolphin-petting pools.<\/p>\n

Programs that enable people to swim with dolphins in nature are also invasive. Boats and swimmers may chase, harass, and scare the animals. Such acts may interfere with their natural feeding, resting, migrating, and playing behavior.<\/p>\n

The world is moving away from keeping sensitive cetaceans in captivity. Because of PETA\u2019s campaigns and mounting criticism of SeaWorld, the company ended its sordid orca-breeding program and agreed to stop allowing trainers to stand on dolphins\u2019 faces and backs in cruel circus-style shows.<\/p>\n

Following a years-long PETA campaign, the notorious Miami Seaquarium\u2014which confined animals to tiny, dilapidated enclosures – lost its lease and is shutting down. After hearing from PETA entity supporters, dozens of big travel companies, including Expedia, Booking.com, and Jet2holidays, have stopped selling tickets to marine parks.<\/p>\n

Governments around the world are also recognizing that dolphins (including orcas) and other cetaceans do not belong in tanks. Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, and France have all banned the practice of keeping cetaceans in captivity.<\/p>\n

In 2013, India\u2019s then Ministry of Environment & Forests banned the practice of keeping dolphins captive for entertainment. Other countries, including Brazil, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, and Norway, have restrictions that make it nearly impossible to keep cetaceans in captivity, and the last dolphinarium in the U.K. closed more than 30 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"Dolphins<\/p>\n

Elephant Rides<\/h3>\n

In a survey of 13,000 people, one of the primary reasons travelers gave for wanting to take an elephant ride or attend a show was their \u201clove of animals.\u201d But when you discover just how cruel these attractions are, you\u2019ll remove them from your bucket list. Elephants held captive for these exploitive activities endure physical and psychological abuse.<\/p>\n

Elephants are astute animals who place a great deal of importance on family. In their natural environment, females display immense maternal love and are highly protective of their young\u2014who stay with the herd for years. Baby elephants used for rides and other attractions are taken from their frantic mothers, and the \u201ctraining\u201d begins early on.<\/p>\n

The babies are tied down and beaten until their spirits are broken and they\u2019re fearful enough to obey their \u201ctrainers\u201d in order to avoid pain. Researchers have found that elephants who are subjected to this \u201cbreaking\u201d process often develop post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n

Elephants in nature<\/a> forage for fresh vegetation, play, bathe in rivers, and travel many miles a day with their herds. But in captivity, they have no control over their lives. They can\u2019t choose to socialize with other elephants and are forced to spend long hours chained down, carrying riders on their backs, or performing painful tricks\u2014even on the hottest days. Captive elephants are routinely deprived of nutritious food, adequate water, and necessary veterinary care.<\/p>\n

Elephants in captivity endure a lack of exercise and spend hours on end standing on hard surfaces, causing many to suffer from painful foot problems and arthritis. Most captive elephants die decades short of the life expectancy of their species\u2014like Sambo, an elephant who was forced to ferry tourists in Cambodia and dropped dead<\/a> after suffering from a heart attack.<\/p>\n

Interactions with elephants are dangerous for tourists, too. The only way to force elephants to give rides, paint pictures, or perform other demeaning tricks is through violence and domination. Under these conditions, it\u2019s no surprise when one finally breaks and strikes back\u2014like Gouri, who attacked a tourist and slammed her to the ground, breaking her leg<\/a>, while being forced to give rides at Amer Fort in India<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Tourists should also be wary of scam \u201csanctuaries.\u201d Elephant camps<\/span><\/a><\/span> throughout Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and other Asian countries are notorious for duping the public into believing that their activities benefit elephants – often by claiming to rescue them or offer them \u201csanctuary.\u201d However, the abusive training methods and deprivation that animals face at these facilities are often the same as those used by more explicitly entertainment-focused businesses.<\/p>\n

As awareness of the cruelty of elephant rides and tourist traps continues to grow, dozens of travel companies are making the compassionate decision to disassociate themselves from any activities that exploit elephants.<\/p>\n

\"Elephant<\/p>\n

Be a Compassionate Traveler<\/h2>\n

The tourism industry exploits more than half a million animals worldwide at any given time, but this cruelty will disappear if vacationers stop paying for it. Tourist money fuels the exploitation industry. Without your hard-earned cash, there\u2019s no industry.<\/p>\n

Please do your part to help animals by never visiting attractions that exploit them. Urge your friends and family to do the same.<\/p>\n

Never ride an animal or participate in <\/span>animal encounters such as animal photo ops, cub-petting, drive-through \u201csafaris,\u201d zoos, and circuses, no matter where in the world you vacation – including in the U.S. <\/span>When you book a trip, ask your tour company and hotel if they promote activities that involve animals.<\/p>\n

If they do, explain why they should stop. When you see animals being exploited, contact that country\u2019s tourism ministry to denounce the abuse. When you speak out, people will listen. Your voice has power.<\/p>\n

There are a million fun things to do on vacation without exploiting animals. Headed to Egypt? <\/span>Avoid animal rides and take a cab to the pyramids or get your steps in while touring on your own two feet. <\/span><\/p>\n

Enjoy the water? Skip cruel marine parks and go snorkeling or scuba diving in the ocean to see animals thriving in their own habitats\u2014 but be sure to keep a respectful distance and don\u2019t ever touch or harass an animal. Attend an animal-free circus and be wowed by willing human performers. Drink local vegan wine. Go dancing. Visit museums. The list is endless.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Every
Image Credit PETA.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Charities We Love: PETA Wrap Up<\/h2>\n

Want to do even more? Be part of it! Check out PETA.org<\/a> for all the latest news about animal rights. The website is filled with ways to help make the world a kinder, more compassionate place for all sentient beings.<\/p>\n

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We hope this article has given you insight and guidance on being a compassionate traveler! If you have questions about El Calafate or tips to share with our readers, please leave these in the comments below.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Want to share your travel tips by writing for We Are Travel Girls? Visit our<\/i><\/b> Contribute Page<\/i><\/b><\/a> to submit your article.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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