Let’s keep wildlife, wild

Seeing exotic animals when you're travelling can be an exciting experience. But please be cautious not to support attractions that exploit wild animals for tourist entertainment.

Our animal-friendly travel guide includes quick tips plus checklists that help you identify a genuine wildlife sanctuary that puts the animals' welfare first.

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Use your guide to help you make informed and compassionate travel decisions to ensure no animals are harmed on your trip. You can print our guide or save it to your phone or any device so you'll have it handy on your next trip.

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Millions of animals are snatched from the wild or bred in intensive unnatural conditions. They are shipped around the world, often in cramped and dirty conditions. Sadly, many die before they reach their final destination.

The farming and poaching of these animals finances industries that exploit wild animals for exotic pets, entertainment, Traditional Asian Medicine, luxury products and meat.

Wildlife. Not Entertainers

Wild animals are exploited for tourist entertainment. Taken away as babies, these animals are trained into submission so they can be forced to interact with tourists for rides, selfies and performances.

Wildlife. Not Pets

Wild animals are exploited as 'exotic pets'. Poached from the wild or bred in captivity, these animals suffer long before they reach our homes.

Wildlife. Not Medicine

Wild animals are exploited to use in Traditional Asian Medicines. Often bred on farms, they are kept in small, barren cages for their body parts.

Wild animals are being forced into close contact with humans due to the destruction of their natural habitats and being poached, bred and shipped around the world as commodities.

Zoonotic infections can emerge and be spread at every stage of the trade. This should be of critical concern, as almost 75% of emerging infectious diseases affecting human health originate in wildlife – SARS, Ebola, and now COVID-19. We cannot wait for the next pandemic, we must act now.

Take action to prevent the next pandemic

Sign our petition calling on the Government of Canada to curb the domestic wildlife trade and champion this issue globally.

Learn more

Wildlife have a right to live life and we need to learn how to co-exist. World Animal Protection is working towards making this a reality by:

• Curbing the commercial wildlife trade and exposing the harm industries cause to wild animals and their habitat.
• Working together with the public and private sector to find humane, sustainable solutions that enable us to co-exist with wildlife. Through strategic alliances and engaging with local communities, we will build the case for humane sustainable alternatives.
• Pushing governments to implement and enforce laws to protect wildlife and their habitats against commercial exploitation.