Investigation sheds light on poor animal welfare in wildlife tourism in Bali

A new investigation has revealed that wildlife entertainment venues on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali sees animals predominantly suffering in shockingly inadequate conditions.

A new Holidays that Harm report by global wildlife charity World Animal Protection has found that over 1,300 wild animals, including elephants, orangutan, and dolphins, are being exploited for tourist entertainment in inadequate conditions across Bali and the adjacent island of Lombok with the majority of the venues investigated not meeting the basic needs of the wild animals being kept there.

The investigation also found that despite increasing demand for responsible tourism options, many of the world's largest tourism operators are selling low-welfare wildlife venues in Bali and do not have policies to ensure they are not profiting from animal cruelty at the venues and attractions they sell.

Aiming to provide a current picture of the welfare of wildlife in the industry and identify any changes since World Animal Protection’s 2017 assessment of the wildlife entertainment industry on the Indonesian islands saw 34 locations assessed.

That previous investigation led to major travel companies like Helloworld and Flight Centre removing the venues from their offerings and stopping the promotion and selling of elephant riding overall.

Key facts from the 2023 Holidays that Harm report:

• Wild animals are still predominantly suffering in shockingly inadequate conditions across all venues visited during the investigation.

• Elephant riding and bathing, close encounters, wildlife selfies, swimming with dolphins in artificial pools, and touching turtles in small pens are some of the cruellest wildlife attractions observed.

• Elephants were seen chained without shade during the day at Mason Elephant Park and Tasta Zoo.

• Global travel giants including GetYourGuide, Klook, Traveloka and Trip.com continue to sell low-welfare wildlife entertainment attractions in Bali and Lombok for profit.

• Expedia and TripAdvisor sell tickets to the accommodation of venues which feature cruel wildlife attractions, ultimately funding these venues.

• There was no meaningful or significant improvement in the recorded and observed welfare conditions for wildlife in entertainment in Bali and Lombok in the five years since the last report.

• While some small improvements were noted, none of these changes were significant enough to result in a venue being rated as even close to the ‘best possible’ welfare conditions for any of the focal species.

Commenting on the findings, Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection, stated “what may be an island paradise for tourists is a captive hell for more than a thousand wild animals trapped in shockingly inadequate conditions across wildlife entertainment venues in Bali and Lombok.

“People go to these venues because they love animals, but they are unaware of the hidden cruelty behind the scenes, with many animals taken from their mothers as babies and forced to endure cruel and intensive training to make them ‘safe’ to interact with tourists.

“During our investigation we saw wild animals suffering for selfies, and it’s driven by tourist demand and lack of ethical policies by travel companies.

“While we are seeing a global shift in attitudes towards wildlife in entertainment, with most travellers wanting to do the right thing, the complicating factors of over-tourism, misleading conservation claims from venues, and lack of robust travel company policies make it hard for tourists to make a choice that reflects their values. As a good rule of thumb – if you can ride, hug or have a selfie with a wild animal, there is cruelty involved, so don’t do it.

“We urge the tourism industry to take responsibility for the activities they promote, and work with us towards a future where tourism is responsible, sustainable, and does not contribute to wildlife cruelty. Governments must also introduce breeding bans so to ensure the current generation of wild animals in captivity is the last to suffer this fate."

With tourism being one of the world's biggest drivers of wildlife exploitation, World Animal Protection - the global voice for animal welfare, with more than 70 years’ experience campaigning for a world where animals live free from cruelty and suffering - is urging tourists and stakeholders to build back a more responsible tourism industry.

82% of people interviewed in World Animal Protection’s 2022 global poll (over 23,000 people across 15 countries) believed that tour operators should not sell activities that cause suffering to wild animals.

Click here to view the Holidays that Harm report.

Images: Bullhooks used on elephants during rides at Mason Elephant Lodge and Park (top, credit: Andito Wasi), caged animals in filthy conditions at at Bakas Elephant Park (middle, credit: Andito Wasi)and an elephant chained at Mason Elephant Park and Lodge (below, credit: Andito Wasi).