An estimated 550,000 wild animals currently suffer at hands of wildlife tourism. The worst offenders around the world, being companies who sell elephant rides and offer tiger photos.

Research carried about the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) found that animals experienced cruelty at 75 per cent of the 188 venues TripAdvisor was promoting, and the 80 per cent of visitors left the site still unaware of the cruelty carried out at the attractions.

550,000 wild animals currently suffer at hands of wildlife tourism

The team behind this research, along with the WAP are now caling on the tourism site, which gets around 300 million hits a month, to stop promoting sales to cruelty attractions and stop selling tickets to these attractions through it’s subsidiary companies.

“[TripAdvisor] have said publicly that they would help travellers gain better understanding of animal welfare issues but they’ve not been willing to work with us in any practical sense,” Head of Campaigns at WAP Nicola Beynon told ABC recently.

We’re asking if they could set up a program, we’ve suggested Wildlife Leaders, which would reward companies that are animal-friendly.”

“We find when the public understands the cruelty behind wildlife tourism, they don’t want to take part in it,”