Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Nov 10

Going into caves that support beautiful wildlife could actually be destroying it!

We all know that many animals live in caves, whether it’s the obvious bats or the not so obvious creepy crawlies, but could we be damaging the very environment that they evolved to live in?

I recently read a report on the fact that groups of people who pay to go into giant caves to see the nesting bats are actually driving the bats away and making the cave inhospitable to other creatures as well.

What Is The Problem?
For a start, many ‘in demand’ caves are fenced off or boarded up so that you can’t go into them yourself without paying the fee.  This alone not only restricts animal movements, but prevent wind and rain (along with seeds and insects) from entering.

Many larger caves have also added lighting and footpaths without any consideration for the wildlife at all - let alone the increase in traffic on the journey to the cave in the first place.

It is obvious then that this will affect both the food chain and the delicate habitat that you may well have been paying to see!

Since cave tourism was implemented in one cave in China, the fruit bat population has plummeted from around 5000 to less than 2000 in just a few years.

And Humans?
Although this industry stops a lot of things from getting into the caves - it also lets in more dangerous things - basically humans!  Lots of humans.  All that exhaled CO2 can be devastating to the micro climate within these environments.

Picture it.  A large group of tourists have just walked some distance, possibly up a hill to get to the cave.  They are breathing heavily as they enter the cave, talk a lot to each other and possibly get out of breath while exploring, leaning on walls and slipping on plants and guano.

Many of them will be dripping with sweat from this or the increased temperature inside the cave, and they will possibly trample in areas that are not suitable for walking boots.  As most tourists are generally selfish, no doubt they will break things, drop things and probably have food with them.

All three of these could destroy wildlife or bring disease to the cave.

Then, when they have had their monies worth, the door is locked shut, trapping all that nastiness inside until the next tour.

Please think before you enter any environment that is widely advertised for tourists or touted on the streets.  The people who pay to go on a spur-of-the-moment trip to somewhere different are usually not the least bit interested in the longevity of that location.  It just looks fun right now.

So, think before you join them.

posted by Catherine on Jan 25

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Is it ethical to travel to countries that allow paying tourists the right to shoot large game?  Or should you avoid them?

With the report in the Sunday Times that people are again being invited in large numbers to shoot wild animals in Africa - including whole families of elephants - should you support their country with tourism or avoid them all together?

Apparently Zimbabwe is trying to cull huge numbers of it’s elephant population, and South Africa is offering lion kills to foreign tourists.

Obviously, it is unfathomable to me why anyone would want to kill any healthy animals anyway - let alone pay large sums of money to do so. And if I had good reason to end the life of an animal, I certainly wouldn’t want to pose on top of it for a photo!

Why Hunting?
They can reason that some animal populations can be a danger to local communities and need to be ‘controlled’ but there are far more humane and tourism-friendly approaches. Shooting them has to be a final option - but allowing inexperienced gun-toters to take on the job is surely a way of saying that ‘it doesn’t matter if they suffer - we just want them dead’.

I know that if my cat needed to be put to sleep - I could probably get some local man to whack it a few times over the head with a large stick for virtually no cost. However, I would rather leave it in the hands of a professional veterinarian - even if it costs me a considerable amount of money.

But, I suppose using Zimbabwe as an example isn’t the best, as at the moment they apparently don’t even care about their human population - let alone their animals!

However, South African Hunting Groups should know better. They know that this is a very controversial area, but they still continue to arrange hunting parties - arguing that the money raised is ploughed back into the community and into wildlife conservation.

Regardless of whether it is or not, should we as tourists make a stand and decide to go to other countries for our safari’s and feed our money into their economy instead? Or, should we let them see that what they are killing is worth more to them alive in their own country?

Is it that easy?
Hunters normally pay between £5000-£15,000 to kill an animal so it is a very lucrative business to compete with. This means that at least 6 people need to visit the same reserve paying around £2500 each for a short safari to match the incoming amount. But the actual profits don’t match up.

To drive a jeep of 6 hunters into the park, feed them lunch, then whisk them off home takes less than a day. This totals between £35,000 and £90,000 for a day depending on what they are killing - and the only overheads are 2 peoples wages, fuel, bullets and lunch.

To gain the same amount of total funds per day from sight-seeing tourists would mean dividing up their 3 day safari - so around £833 a day each for the same trip - minus the bullets obviously. In addition, the safari would include accommodation as well, so take off the odd £33 as a token cost.

So, the safari only needs between 44 and 112 people in each jeep to match the hunters profits! It’s not going to happen, is it?

Without getting petty about the figures, you are going to need a huge number of animal-loving tourists to match a jeep load of hunters.

What Can We Do?
Lets assume that these ‘trophy’ animals are part of a large plan to save other species in the area as many hunters claim. Can we still justify this? And can they prove where their money helps?

Obviously, each ‘hunt’ should be taken on a case-by-case basis and large charities and organisations will be able to see the results of their ‘claims’. Therefore, if you are planning to travel to a country in Africa that offers hunting - check with animal charities and organisations in that region before booking to find out current activities and what you can best do to help out.

Don’t forget that many of the local communities in these countries may not agree with the hunting either - and many hunting parties are not run by locals or happen on completely the other side of the country. However, you could be affecting individual livelihoods and the future of their families by not visiting.

Of course, if you are going to ‘boycott’ a country, there is no point doing so unless you let someone know your reasons - and local charities can help you to direct your correspondence down the best path for maximum effect.

Make sure you don’t miss out on one of the worlds greatest wildlife adventures because of a selfish few. Pick yourself an eco holiday that will actually leave your destination better off for your visit, and feel great about your contribution.