This summer, equine welfare charity Brooke is asking tourists to look out for working animals while on holiday and sharing how to help them. Brooke has launched a campaign educating holidaymakers on the responsible use of animals in tourism and how to prevent unnecessary suffering.
Equines working in tourism can travel long distances, often in harsh climates and over challenging terrain. As they pull carts or carry people and heavy luggage, their welfare can often be overlooked.
Brooke recognises that tourism is a vital source of income for many communities around the world, but this shouldn’t be at cost to animal welfare, as Chris Wainwright, CEO of Brooke explained.
“Every tourist has the power to help prevent working animals, including working horses or donkeys, from suffering,” he said. “We want tourists to think before they take part in an activity involving animals, asking themselves, for example, do they really need to use a donkey to go up a hill on a blistering hot day?
“These animals are highly intelligent and feel pain just as we do, so let’s treat them with the love and respect they deserve.”
The Happy Horses Holiday Code
Bismark, a riding tour guide, leads tourists through the rain on Ometepe island, Nicaragua. He uses his horses for forest tours, showcasing coffee and banana plantations, monkeys and a panoramic viewpoint. Thanks to Brooke, Bismark prioritises the welfare of his horses and using them responsibly to earn an income. Credit: Jose Collado (Chepe)
Brooke’s Happy Horses Holiday Code empowers tourists to make informed choices and understand what to look out for when considering an activity involving animals.
This includes:
- No more than one person per animal
- Avoiding using animals with sores or wounds
- Matching the size of a rider to the animal
- Paying a fair price – otherwise owners must work their animals even harder to earn a living
- Speaking out or reporting any mistreatment
- Consider: is the animal happy and healthy? Can the animal carry or pull my weight? What alternatives are there to using animals?
Tourists are encouraged to reach out to their tour operator, local police or authority if they witness an animal being exploited. Speaking out if an owner is exploiting their animal can help change attitudes and build a better life for working animals, who do so much for their communities.
Learn more about how Brooke is promoting responsible use of animals in tourism here.
Lead image of horses at a tourist pilgrimage and religious ceremony in India. Credit: Richard Dunwoody
