Leitah – Life as a Black Mamba
We’ll be profiling Leitah from the all female anti-poaching unit, the Black Mamba’s, on 23rd June, sign up for the newsletter to hear her and other stories
Ethical Bucket List provides a platform for tourists to review the destinations they have visited, in the context of an ethical framework that relies on four key criteria. These reviews will form a database that can be accessed to provide advice/awareness to other ethically minded travellers. In addition to this platform we encourage people to contact us to assist assessing potential trips/events/excursions etc.
Wildlife tourism is worth a staggering £200bn annually, which involves 550,000 captive animals. A vast number of these animals live in unnatural, cruel and hellish conditions. When surveyed about visiting animal tourist destinations, an overwhelming majority of people identified as love of animals as their prime motivator. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the cruelty they support when visiting such destinations. Ethical Bucket List aims to inspire travellers to make ethical choices in relation to animal tourism.
As a highly profitable market, there is great potential to focus the value of this type to tourism towards ethical and conservation led initiatives. This relies on a culture of awareness that allows ‘animal lovers’ to use the power they have as consumers to shift the nature of wildlife tourism. This shift should be towards a cruelty free model that actively supports rehabilitation and conservation.
Whilst our main body of work is web-based we do, on occasion, support other means of raising awareness, such as letter writing/social media/tweet storm campaigns, protesting, marching and lobbying.
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Leave Nothing But Footprints
Submit a review about an animal tourism experience you have taken part in. Positive reviews help other tourists find ethical sanctuaries. Negative reviews help us fight back against suffering of animals in captivity.
What is an ethical experience?
Ethical Bucket List believe animals should remain in their natural habitat. The ideal form of this conservation led animal tourism, is monitoring and observing them in this habitat with non-invasive intervention from humans.
How to find an ethical experience
Some pointers before you book your experience:
- There are some very obvious experience’s that are unethical, such as street entertainment, begging animals, animals used as photographers’ props and elephant rides. These should be avoided.
- Check standards and affiliations – does the facility sign up to any environmental/welfare standards? who are they partnered/associated with?
- Background checks – ethical sanctuaries/conservation led destinations will provide background information on their rescues and work. An ethical facility will aim to create awareness and provide education for the benefit of wildlife.
- Ask questions – such as their aims, why they have been founded? Where their animals came from? How are they supporting rehabilitation and conservation?
- TripAdvisor and social media – check their reviews and posts, especially photographs, for tell tale signs of unethical activities, such as riding, selfies, stressful contact, please see our key ethical criteria
