Tourism and Animals - Traditions
All over the world, activities are organized in which animal abuse is the main protagonist. Despite awareness is increasing, false beliefs still prevail and use animal suffering as an excuse to perpetuate celebrations where animals are pushed to their physical and psychological limits or even to death.
In all cases, these types of celebrations are hidden in their cultural consideration or under the pretext of tradition. However, the perspective provided by science and the knowledge available about animals as sentient beings allow us to reject these practices. This leads us to question whether some customs, although traditional, are ethically acceptable today.
The cultural shock that travellers might face when learning about the motivations of some people in these types of celebrations can be shocking, since each community identifies certain values to certain traditions that, depending on the cultural heritage, might be difficult to understand. Nevertheless, responsible tourists should not finance any activity that endangers the lives of other living beings, regardless of the values that these practices imply for human beings.
Hereafter are some examples of celebrations where animals are abused.
