Booking.com has become the latest company to stop selling tickets to ‘abusement parks’ that feature captive whales and dolphins or to circuses that use elephants, bears, big cats, and primates.
The travel booking site has released new animal welfare standards, which include a policy against selling tickets to SeaWorld or other aquariums and circuses.
The site also prohibits the promotion of elephant rides and many other activities involving direct contact with certain wild animals.
Tracy Reiman, the executive vice-president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the US-based animal rights organisation, said: “Booking.com is helping to wipe out abusive animal attractions and bolster humane tourism in one fell swoop. PETA is urging people to do their homework and use only ethical travel companies that refuse to promote captive-animal displays.”
Booking.com joins TripAdvisor, which last week also made a commitment to stop selling tickets to attractions that breed or import captive whales and dolphins for public entertainment.
TripAdvisor said it would end any commercial partnerships it has with facilities that do not have, or are not in the process of developing, alternative environments for captive whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Image: Jasonshortes
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