Animal Experience International

You are traveling in S.E Asia. You see an animal in a cage. What would you do? What should you do?

This is an interesting article that will get you thinking about the animal trade around the world.

Remember, when you travel DO NOT take part in animal tourism. Elephant rides, monkey activities, parrot pictures are all very damaging to the animals, the ecosystems and the economy.

Those animals were stolen from the wild, their teeth were ripped out, they are suffering from malnutrition and improper enrichment.

The families who are using these animals as a source of income are taking part in a cruel and unsustainable practice because they have seen short term gains and see that this can get them an income to feed their families. Once the animal they have dies, they will just have to get another one from the wild. These people don’t want to see cruelty happen to the animal they are exploiting. However, they choose their families financial dependance on tourists because this has proven to be a way they can feed themselves. Break this cycle and support sustainable, fair and humane economy.

The forests that depend on a complex food web are becoming less balanced and suffering as they get emptied with the flora and fauna tourists want to see, play with, touch and own. Some animals we may never have the luck to see. Just as not everyone will be able to go into space, not everyone will be able to see a slow loris.  We must work past our entitlement and remember that animals are not for us. They are for themselves.

When you support the animal trade- through the purchase of animal products or through animal exploitative experiences, you are giving them your seal of approval. Your actions show your endorsement.

It’s not just a quick ride on an elephant. It’s a long life of suffering and torture for the elephant who was ripped apart from their mother when they were young.

It’s not just a picture with a happy monkey. It’s feeding a system that takes monkeys away from their families, has their teeth ripped out and chains put around their neck for their entire lives.

It’s not just a macaw in a cage at a cafe. It’s one less animal in the wild. One less chance for that species to survive, one less important piece to a very complex puzzle that needs all the pieces for it’s health.

Cages keep animals in, they exist because without them animals would escape. They would go where they want- and that is NOT a night market so they can be purchased by a human to live in another cage.

Keep animals in the forests, the deserts, the oceans, the plains- in the wild where they belong.

Do not support the animal trade or animal tourism.

What do you think about these tourists? Do you think they did the right thing?

http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/01/07/the-great-escape-a-slow-release-to-the-wild-in-indonesia/

Nora and Dr. Heather

Earlier this week both AEI directors went in to the wild of Central Ontario to better understand a project our Canadian turtle-y Placement Partner was working on. We were in for one of the best days of our AEI lives! We happily canoed away from our desks and towards a remote island located in the middle of a wetland. We were loaded down with bug nets, bug spray and a healthy appreciation for the insects that would soon be feasting on our blood. However, the weather had different plans for these black flies, deer flies and horse flies. It was sunny, warm and WINDY the whole day so instead of being covered in horrible war wounds, we only suffered a few bites from the particularly strong fliers.

The Experience we were volunteering with was a post release study that had us face to face with tiny Blanding’s Turtles (cutie-ous maximus). Blanding’s Turtles are one of the cutest (biased) turtles in Ontario, this is mostly because they have a perpetual smile. Protected under the Endangered Species Act, they are threatened provincially and nationally. Interestingly enough it can take them 25 years to reach maturity and lay eggs. Loss of habitat, poaching (for the pet trade) and car attacks rank in the top for reasons they aren’t having the best luck out there.

Our turtle Placement Partner is running a post release study for Blanding’s hatchings that were head started at the Placement Partner’s site. If we can learn more about baby Blanding’s Turtles we can learn more about the big fellas and then learn more about how we can help them grow up safe and happy.

Using radio guided telemetry, hip waders and quick hands (with gloves to keep the leeches off) we looked for the hatchling turtles who were released just a short time ago. With tiny radio beacons attached to their shells we found out that turtles are big fans of NOT being caught by humans. We raced around the swamp listening to the beeping of beacons from turtles very affectionately named things like 007, 010, 001 and 003. We were able to make contact with only one- the rest proved to be little (not quite teenage) ninja turtles. We weighed and measured the one turtle we were able to catch and were proud of the other ones who were so good at their evasive maneuvers. If they could get away from us, surely they would be able to dodge predators.

It was as a fun day of turtling, birding, canoeing, mudding, making up verbs and researching a threatened species. To learn more about the Blanding’s Turtle and how you can help them please visit the MNRs Blanding’s Turtle page! If you would like to volunteer on this Experience or learn more about this Placement Partner please visit the AEI website.

We took some great photos and some thrilling videos which we will be posting soon! So check back!

Keep calm and turtle on!