Bullfighting, some zoos, carriage rides and swimming with dolphins are examples of bad practices related to animals that are highlighted on a new digital service to alert tourists.
The online map has been launched by an animal protection foundation in Spain called FAADA, and is designed to show tourists activities that involve animals which it considers are prejudical to animal welfare.
The coordinator of FAADA, Giovanna Constantini, said the new service is to encourage tourists "to travel responsibly."
In Portugal, the map flags up bullfighting especially where the bull is allowed to be killed in the arena.
The map uses the 2011 research on Portugal’s ten zoos undertaken by the Born Free Foundation in the UK which showed that authorized zoos were not fully in accordance with the standards of the European Union, and others were operating without a license.
The report concluded that Portugal’s zoos did not give "any significant contribution to the conservation of species" and that the conservation of most animals in these zoos is not considered a priority.
Information provided to zoo visitors about conservation was inadequate, many zoos allowed or promoted direct contact between animals and the public, and organised animal shows of no educational benefit.
The section on Portugal highlights concern over horse-drawn buggy rides, where "many animals are exploited beyond their limits, while taking tourists over rough terrain, under the sun without water or rest. They suffer sunburn, wounds and are beaten as a result of these 'tourist experience' in which the economic benefits for the owners are always above the welfare of the animals."
Swimming with dolphins is another of the activities showing up on the Portugal section of the map, which the foundation says is primarily in the Algarve and it considers that this practice has "serious implications for the animals and can be dangerous for people."
http://turismo-responsable.com/
