by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:11 AM ET, Thu September 24, 2020
The World Animal Protection organization revealed the findings of a study on travel companies and their commitment to animal welfare.
According to the Tracking the Travel Industry report, the nonprofit animal welfare organization exposed the realities of companies and their negligence toward animal cruelty in the tours and excursions they sell to customers.
While elephant rides and selfies with tiger cubs have been popular with tourists in the past, the animals used in the retreats are being abused in many cases. World Animal Protection is hoping the COVID-19 outbreak is the perfect opportunity to reimagine the industry without exploiting animals.
Of the companies assessed as part of the report, Airbnb ranked the highest thanks to regulations against performances, fights and races for all wild animals. The Travel Corporation, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Viator rounded out the top five with high scores.
While companies like Expedia and Flight Centre are considered 'poor' and 'very poor,' respectively, other brands such as GetYourGuide, Klook and Musement are outright failing and are being called upon to take immediate action to increase their commitment to animal welfare.
"People are beginning to rethink travel and the new normal as we live through the pandemic," World Animal Protection Global Head of Wildlife Audrey Mealia said. "In the case of wildlife tourism, we know that people still want to see wild animals - but not at the cost of cruelty."
"Global companies such as Airbnb are joining us in the fight against animal cruelty and trailblazing the way," Mealia continued. "Right now, the travel industry has a unique chance to change the world for good and put an end to cruel wildlife attractions."
The travel companies were scored across four key areas, including commitment, targets and performance, changing industry supply and changing consumer demand.
World Animal Protection is calling on the travel industry to take responsibility and put an end to the exploitation of wild animals forever.
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