South Africa
National Parks
Impressive landscapes, a variety of ecosystems and rich fauna make South Africa the dream of passionate wildlife travellers. In KwaZulu-Natal you can find several national parks, the best known of which is Kruger National Park, which has the greatest diversity of animals in Africa. Some say that the best sightings occur in the northern and less accessible part of the park. The negative side is that the park can easily become full of vehicles and campsites, and there is a growing concern that this may affect the animals´ lives.
More information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s40-avistamientos
Whale watching
South Africa is potentially one of the best places in the world for observing whales in their natural habitat. Without even taking a boat, visiting places like Hermanus in Walker Point, tourists have the incredible opportunity to see a large number of whales (such as the southern right whale) and even killer whales a few meters off the coast. It is also possible to participate in boat tours with tour operators that obtain a specific license and must keep a certain distance from the whales.
More information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s65
Canned hunting and “walking with lions”
South Africa is the most popular destination for "canned hunting", an activity that offers hunters the chance to shoot lions in enclosed areas where animals have no chance to escape. An estimated 1,000 lions per year die in this way in South Africa. Most of the animals that maintain this industry are bred in captivity in zoos or on specific farms: the cubs can be used in walking safaris or for photos with tourists, and once they become adults they are taken to canned hunting sites.
More information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s96-caza-enlatada; http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s97
Elephants
In South Africa it is also possible to hire elephant rides. Despite their large size, the spine of these animals is extremely fragile and their feet are very delicate, so their use in this type of activities causes them serious health problems. Likewise, violent techniques very similar to those in Asia which are called “Pajaan” (more information http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s37 ) are used to tame these wild animals. In May 2014, the harsh reality behind one of the most important “sanctuaries” that offered this type of activity was revealed: http://turismo-responsable.com/blog/un-santuario-que-cuida-con-amor-a-sus-animales
Ukweshwama Festival
At the Ukweshwama Festival, bulls are subject to acts of tremendous violence such as tearing their tongues, forcefully sticking soil into their throats, taking out their eyes and mutilating their genitals. Incredibly, this practice is not illegal, and it is exempt from the country's animal cruelty laws as it is considered "cultural freedom".
More information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s78
Ostrich rides
Some farms offer tourists the chance to ride ostriches or do races on their backs, in attempt to take advantage of these animals beyond their meat and feathers.
Far from being a harmless activity for ostriches, these races cause injuries and even deaths. Ostriches suffer a lot of stress and often experience serious falls and sometimes even collapse to the ground due to overexertion.
More information: http://turismo-responsable.com/s102
Swimming with sharks
Cage diving between sharks means being locked inside a metal cage that is submerged in the water, with the aim of getting face to face with a shark. The sharks are attracted with bait - a mixture of blood, crushed fish mass and small fish that is thrown into the water to get the sharks closer.
This way of swimming between sharks has generated concern for various reasons. The most important of these is that feeding wild animals can cause problems since it could influence their behaviour and disrupt the natural balance and, in addition, the activity of feeding sharks and diving in cages has been related to an increase in number of shark attacks on humans.
For more information about the topic: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s21
Crocodile farms
In various locations in South Africa there are crocodile farms where the animals are usually overcrowded and in poor conditions. Many of these animals are subsequently slaughtered for the use of their skins and meat. The water in these cement pits is usually dirty and stagnant and, because of overpopulation and lack of environmental enrichment, the animals become aggressive and often attack each other. Therefore, it is common to observe wounds, bites, amputated limbs and tails and broken jaws. Also, in many of these centers there are shows or interactions of various kinds between animals and tourists. Generally, on the websites of these same places you can see all the products made from crocodile skin that can be purchased online or in the same center.
For more information read here: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s34
False rescue centers
Some captive animal centers in the country exist under deceptive names like rehabilitation centers or orphanages, this way playing with people's sensibility. However, they are just another animal exploitation business. A real and carefully managed rehabilitation center would never reproduce its animals, nor trade them, as well as would not train them to perform shows, nor allow contact between them and the visitors. The hard and delicate work of real rescue centers focuses on offering animals the highest levels of care, making them free of any kind of exploitation. A perfect example of the country's "fake rescue center" is the “Cango Wildlife Ranch”that offers tourists all kinds of interactions with animals and even the possibility of "swimming" with crocodiles.
For more information: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s32
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 dolphinaria 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.
For more information: http://sosdelfines.org/
Recommended rescue centers and projects:
Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
International Primate Rescue (IPR)
Shamwari Conservation Experience (CNSV XP)
Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
The Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education (CARE)
Here is a list of local NGOs that can be contacted in case you want to make a donation, a complaint or find an animal that needs help in South Africa:
Cart Horse Protection Association
Animal Welfare Society Stellenbosch
KAROO animal protection society
South African Mass Animal Sterilization Trust
