by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:29 PM ET, Wed August 1, 2018
Out of concern for animal welfare, Thomas Cook has announced it will no longer sell trips to animal parks that keep killer whales in captivity.
The company's chief executive made the announcement in a blog post on the Thomas Cook website. The new move is part of a policy Thomas Cook established 18 months ago under which any animal attractions sold by the holiday giant must be 100 percent compliant with ABTA animal welfare standards, as verified by Thomas Cook's own program of independent audits.
As part of that policy, Thomas Cook has audited some 49 animal attractions around the world and removed 29 from its offerings that didn't meet the ABTA standards the company insists upon.
The latest attractions to be removed from Thomas Cook offerings, as part of this week's announcement are SeaWorld, in Florida, and Loro Parque in Tenerife.
"From next summer, we will no longer sell any animal attractions that keep orcas in captivity," Thomas Cook chief executive Peter Fankhauser wrote in his blog post. "This was not a decision we took lightly. We always said that we would continue to review our policy, conscious that the more we got into this area, the more we would learn, and conscious also of changing customer sentiment."
Fankhauser said that his company actively engaged with a range of animal welfare specialists over the last 18 months and has taken account of the scientific evidence those experts provided in making its decision.
The company also considered customer feedback. More than 90 percent of Thomas Cook customers told the company that it was important that their holiday company takes animal welfare seriously.
"That has led us to the decision we have taken today," wrote Fankhauser.
In his post, Fankhauser also pointed out that both of the attractions that are being removed from Thomas Cook's offerings had passed the travel company's audit process and made improvements to the way they treat animals.
"We respect and applaud the work that has been done, and we will work with both over the next 12 months to prepare for our exit," Fankhauser continued. "We will also continue to work ourselves to identify more sustainable alternatives."
Fankhauser concluded his message by noting that he is "clear about the kind of business that we want to be. That's why we introduced our animal welfare policy 18 months ago, and that's why we've taken this decision today. And when so many of our customers are so clear in their view, I could not allow our business to ignore them."
While SeaWorld no longer breeds killer whales, it still keeps them in captivity and according to the BBC, has said the orcas it already has "will be with us and our visitors for many years."
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
