03/12/2019
From our travel industry colleagues, Bench Africa:
“Is this animal "sanctuary" good or not?
At Bench Africa we have had a firm policy for a few years now not to endorse, promote or offer any animal encounters for clients, only wild observations of animals. There are a lot of animal encounters available for tourists in Africa, mostly in Southern Africa. A few claim to be sanctuaries and conservation refuges for animals. Most of them are lying. No judgement if you didn't know better years ago, we've all been lied to and done things for "conservation" (see attached photo of shame). What matters is what to do next!
So, with that in mind, here's a quick cheat sheet to decipher whether a place is legit or dodgy.
Wild animals are naturally afraid of humans. It's why we don't get eaten when we go on a walking safari or why remote lodges aren't just lion buffets. If you have an activity that involves petting an animal, warning sign.
If that animal is an infant, big warning sign. Infants don't want to be picked up, handled or petted naturally. Add in the fact that infants would normally be with their mother so the absence of the mother is a red flag and not in the best interest of either.
If it involves walking along with an predator (eg. a lion), also a warning sign. This isn't natural behaviour to a lion and has to be trained out of them. Plus, when it is older you can't train that wildness back so the animal will never be able to be released.
Lions breed well. Their conservation issues involve land management and human/wildlife conflict. If you see any sanctuaries breeding lions then they are doing it for profit and that is a big warning sign. Particularly because 9 times out of 10 these lions are sold to another reserve when they are too big to pet and eventually end up in the canned hunting industry.
Even if a company claims to release animals back into the wild when they are grown if you see any of these above signs then usually that animal is doomed for a life of captivity or worse. Any change to their behaviour means they won't function properly on their own.
HOW TO JUDGE AN ACTUAL SANCTUARY:
No interacting (petting, walking with or holding). Just like a pavlova, if you pet it, you ruin it.
No breeding or trading of the animals.
All animals have ended up there accidentally through accident, injury, sickness or abandonment.
They'll get a wild release or a comfortable home for life if they are unable to be released.
Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is a good example. They are animals in there that have ended up there accidentally (tick), they aren't bred (tick) and will get a wild release (tick). Those that can't, like their blinded rhino, get a comfortable life (tick). They don't allow long visits and even though tourists can sometimes briefly touch the small elephants during the main public viewing, it isn't the point of the viewing and not changing the behaviour of the elephants who are too busy gulping milk.
The best animal sanctuaries are the ones that put the tourists last and the animals first. Think about who they are trying to please and go from there.”
Any questions, please discuss this with us while we are planning your amazing African adventure.
