Animal Welfare & Wildlife Policy

three gray elephants standing at a snack feeder in thailand

By making ethical choices in our travel experiences, we can inspire others to do the same and work towards a more compassionate future for all beings.

a single light tan and gray sloth hanging from a branch in costa rica

At Veggies Abroad, we travel with care — choosing animal-friendly experiences and responsible practices that leave a positive impact.

We believe the most magical wildlife encounters are wild. That’s why our promise is simple: we look, we learn, and we leave them in peace. Our animal welfare policy, shaped by the World Animal Protection Organization, keeps us grounded in that promise, on every journey.

Animal Activities You Won’t Find on Our Itineraries

  • Captive Animal Performances: Shows or performances that involve wild animals, such as circuses, dolphin or whale shows, and elephant rides. Additionally, we will not support zoos.
  • Wildlife Selfies: Taking photos with wild animals in captivity or in unnatural settings, often in exchange for money. These interactions can cause stress and harm to the animals and may contribute to their exploitation and captivity.
  • Trophy Hunting: Hunting animals for sport or trophy collection. Trophy hunting can lead to declines in wildlife populations, disrupt ecosystems, and contribute to species extinction.
  • Animal Fighting/Racing: Including but not limited to bullfighting and running, crocodile wrestling, dog fighting, rodeo, elephant polo, and horse racing.
  • Cub Petting and Wildlife Encounters: Interactions with young wild animals, such as lion cubs or tiger cubs, often in tourist attractions or wildlife parks. These activities may involve breeding animals for cub petting, separating young animals from their mothers, and subjecting them to unnatural and stressful conditions.
  • Feeding Wildlife: Feeding wild animals in tourist areas or urban environments can disrupt natural behaviors, alter ecosystems, and create dependency on human food sources. It can also pose risks to human safety and contribute to wildlife aggression and conflicts.
  • Unethical Souvenirs: Buying souvenirs made from wild animals perpetuates harm to wildlife, supports illegal and unethical practices, and undermines conservation efforts. Instead, travelers should choose souvenirs that are ethically sourced, sustainable, and support local communities without harming wildlife or the environment.
  • Additional Activities: Bathing, riding, walking with a wild animal, swimming with dolphins/seals/etc., feeding, carriage rides, or touching. We also will not promote activities that, while it may appear that the animals are living freely, they are clearly only present in an area for human entertainment.
a pack of elephants with one baby elephant traversing the grassy african savannah
  • a single monkey sitting by itself putting food into its mouth in the jungle
  • a gray whale tail going back into the waters in hawaii
  • a single zebra away from the pack in the golden grass of the savannah in africa
  • two puffins standing amongst wild flowers on the coast of ireland

The Use of Domesticated Animals

We love animals too much to put them to work. That’s why we skip activities involving horses, donkeys, ponies, and other domesticated animals.

Five Domains of Animal Welfare

When choosing activities that involve animals, we utilized World Animal Protection’s animal welfare template and the Five Domains of Animal Welfare to determine if an activity is unethical. These Domains include:

1

The Animal’s Nutrition Needs and Access

Does the animal have unrestricted daily access to appropriate food and clean drinking water?

2

The Animal’s Environment

Does the animal have access to shelter and an environment that meets their species-specific needs? Can they seek privacy?

3

The Animal’s Health

Does the animal exhibit good health and fitness level?

4

The Animal’s Behavior

Can the animal move and exercise freely and maintain sufficient distance from other animals in case of conflict?

5

The Animal’s Mental State

Does the animal display positive states, such as pleasure and comfort, as opposed to negative states, such as fear, hunger, or boredom?

Additional Animal-Friendly Travel Help

If you’re not booking travel with Veggies Abroad, we encourage you to book with a company that has taken a wildlife-friendly travel pledge. Look for accredited wildlife sanctuaries or ones endorsed by animal welfare organizations, as well as companies that publicly share responsible travel policies.

Also, check out our upcoming wildlife-friendly tours:

Best of Thailand Vegan Tour
Vegan Tour through Ecuador & The Galapagos