Chained to a table and unable to escape, a young tiger squirms uncomfortably as two tourists ruffle its fur and pose for pictures. Tragically, this kind of treatment is far from unusual. An investigation by animal welfare charities found at least three quarters of zoos and aquariums force their beasts to interact with visitors.
They also found lions and tigers forced to perform in shows in ‘gladiatorial’ ampitheatres to entertain large crowds and dolphins used as surfboards by their keepers.
Elephants were poked with sticks to force them to play basketball, perform tricks, and give visitors rides.
Chimpanzees and orangutans were made to wear nappies and human clothes, ride scooters, and kiss tourists as they posed for photographs.
The charities are now urging tourists to boycott zoos and aquariums that use cruel training methods to force their animals to interact with humans in this way, often causing lasting harm.
Audrey Mealia, from World Animal Protection , said: “Seeing wild animals being used purely as circus acts and photos props was more like a horror show.
“These ridiculous activities should be a thing of the past.”
The new report, The Show Can’t Go On, has been published by World Animal Protection and the Change For Animals Foundation .
The charities visited 12 animal parks across five continents, including attractions in America, Canada, France, Portugal, and Japan.
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