 |
| Baboon Kruger Park South Africa |
We have travelled to most of the National Parks in South Africa and can highly recommend Kruger National Park, Pilansberg National Park, and Addo Elephant Park. The smaller parks are also well worth visiting, time permitting.
Just do be cognitive of the fact that these are wild animals - stay in your vehicle at all times and just enjoy and absorb the incredible sight of these magnificent animals in their natural habitats. Also remember that these animals can roam at will so if you drive for an hour and spot nothing, don't give up - a huge elephant may be browsing right around the next corner! Take care to avoid male elephants - they are normally loners and can be extremely scary if in musth. Highly aggressive as testosterone levels can be 60 times greater at these times.
 |
| Zebra Pilansberg South Africa |
Global tourism
heavyweights Airbnb and TripAdvisor have shunned wildlife interactions and
experiences without conservation backbone.
Elephant-back
rides, lion cub petting and kissing dolphins, among others, won't be featured
on Airbnb, according to strict ethical standards for its new 'Animal
Experiences' platform.
 |
| Buffalo Kruger Park |
 |
| Hippos Kruger Park |
TripAdvisor,
too, has distanced itself from attractions involved in breeding or importing
captive whales and dolphins used for public display. In 2016, TripAdvisor
implemented an animal welfare programme prohibiting ticket sales to facilities
offering interactions with captive wildlife or endangered species. The
facilities can still be reviewed on the platform, however.
 |
| Kruger Park South Africa |
TripAdvisor
Spokesperson, James Kay, says the company is now ending
its commercial relationships with facilities that do not have, or are not in
the process of developing alternative environments for captive marine life.
Tourism
association SATSA has welcomed the developments.
"Wildlife
is the bedrock of South Africa's tourism," says Keira Powers,
SATSA Animal Interaction Committee chairperson. "And we have the
privileged position of offering tourists engagement with the wild and with
wildlife in authentic settings."
 |
| Elephants at play Kruger Park South Africa |
The new Airbnb
Animal Experiences are featured in consultation with World Animal Protection
and hosted by accredited conservationists or caring experts "as an
antidote to typical tourist attractions that are notorious for ethical
concerns”, Airbnb says.
The Penguin
Paddle in Simon's Town in the Western Cape is one of the South African
experiences on offer. According to host Jon Monsoon, a
career conservationist, Airbnb waives all fees for this experience so that 100%
of the proceeds go directly to the cause.
 |
| Penguins Nesting - Simonstown Cape Town |
Airbnb further
says it is cautious of places that may call themselves 'rescues' and
'sanctuaries' but don’t operate in the animals’ best interest. Therefore,
"places using wild animals for direct interactions with travellers or in
performances, won't be tolerated”.
 |
| Kruger Park South Africa |
"Neither
will those that buy or sell wild or wild-hybrid animals or products derived
from them, or breed wild animals or wild-hybrid animals, unless they are part
of an official, recognised breeding programme where the animals are being
responsibly released back into the wild."
These global
policy changes precede a highly-anticipated Guide for Evaluating Captive Animal
Attractions & Activities in South Africa, to be released by SATSA at the
end of this month. According to Powers, the guide will help the South African
animal interaction industry navigate new territory.
 |
| Giraffe Kruger Park |
