Study Reveals The Welfare Of The Most Improved Animals Behind The Call For Animal Tourism

Illustration of an elephant (image: Pexels/Karen F)

JAKARTA - Behind the excitement and splendor of animal tourism, there is animal welfare that is often neglected. Recent research reveals that a number of tourist attractions actually exploit animals for visual entertainment.

The study was conducted by researchers from Griffith University, who found that some forms of animal tourism did little to help conservation or public education, but instead caused suffering to animals.

One heartbreaking example is the orangutan performance at Safari World, Bangkok. The orangutans there were costumed and forced to appear in boxing performances.

"Practices like this not only harm animal welfare, but also a serious violation of dignity and respect," said Associate Professor Georgette Leah Burns, one of the researchers from the study, quoted by Yahoo, on Monday, September 8, 2025.

The study also shows that the current condition of animal tourism does not match the initial goal of the animal tourism experience. The goal is that animal attractions should provide respectful and meaningful gatherings, thus encouraging people to understand animals more deeply, not just entertainment.

"Along with the growth of animal tourism, this research challenges the industry to reassess its ethical basis and shift to more loving and respectful involvement," he added.

Therefore, animal tourism attractions are required to think about the welfare of the animals behind their performances. Tourists who want to enjoy animal tourism must also be more thorough.

Tourists should be more critical of the purpose of managing these tourist attractions. It is recommended to avoid attractions that exploit animals can help reduce animal suffering.

Healthy animal tourism should not demean animals. On the other hand, it must create experiences that respect animal dignity and help us understand them as living things, not just spectacles," he concluded.