Greece
Protected areas
Loggerhead sea turtles are the most common turtles in the Mediterranean, and they nest on the beaches of Greece, Turkey, Israel and Libya. Unfortunately, many of these beaches are threatened by tourism development. Loggerhead turtles are highly migratory and also particularly vulnerable since they often end up in fishermen's nets as bycatch. Although turtle excluder devices (TED) have reduced this threat in some areas, the use of these devices is still not mandatory everywhere. The Greek government is currently working to establish a zone of ??protected areas in order to safeguard nesting beaches.
Bear watching
In Greece, among other types of wildlife watching, it is possible to participate in bear watching, which is usually carried out on excursions organized and led by an expert guide. There are also observation sites with walkways and hiding places to observe these animals in a semi-organized way. Both to prevent accidents, and to safeguard these animals, it is important to be very clear about the general principles and guidelines of this type of watching, which can be consulted here.
Circuses
Greece has been the first European country to ban the use of animals in circuses. Several European countries have banned or are in the process of banning the use of wild animals, but the Greek ban applies to all animals in circuses. In the past, several animal abuse cases were documented in Greek circuses, including a rhino forced to perform, a hippopotamus living in a car with little more than a dirty water bath, and tigers housed in small cages in the back of some trucks. More information.
Donkeys
Donkeys are one of the hallmarks of the Greek island of Santorini and in fact in all souvenir shops you can find postcards, t-shirts or keychains that carry the image of these animals.
Unfortunately, on the same island, tourists can travel between the ports of Oía or Fira and their urban areas on the back of a donkey, forcing these animals to move through a steep path full of steps and carry the weight of one or more people under the scorching sun. We advise not to use these animals as a means of transport and to consult this link for more information on this topic.
Stray cats and dogs
In this country, tourists can see many stray dogs and cats that pervade the city streets and can pose a danger to both the health of people and other animals. The only solution to this type of problem would be sterilizing the animals, and although several non-governmental organizations are already working in this direction, it is essential that local governments support permanent campaigns to resolve this situation. Unfortunately, in most cases, the local administrations just as those of other affected tourist destinations prefer to solve this problem by killing as many animals as possible. This type of solution is not only cruel, but also ineffective, since it does not eradicate the problem from the root - uncontrolled reproduction of dogs and cats - and at the same time contributes to greater growth of their population, since the remaining animals have access to more resources and reproduce faster. More information.
Dolphinaria
In this country you can also find centers which keep cetaceans (dolphins, killer whales or beluga whales) in captivity. Science has shown that these intelligent animals suffer greatly in the limiting conditions of dolphinariums and their stress levels and mortality rates are very high.
The training of these animals for circus shows where they perform totally unnatural behaviours, and which can harm them physically, is achieved through keeping the animals in a permanent state of hunger so that they act in exchange for a piece of dead fish.
Condemned by their facial structure, which resembles a human smile, these highly social animals, which would swim long distances and dive into great depths in the wild, are used to perform stunts in small concrete tanks. Many of these individuals are taken from the wild. More information.
Recommended projects and rescue centers:?
Agia Marina Donkey Rescue Crete
Entidades de protección de los animales en Grecia
Animal protection entities in Greece:
