A few weeks ago I shared a Condé Nast Traveler article on Facebook about a baby dolphin that had washed up onshore and was later killed by overzealous tourists who wanted photos with it. People were predictably sad and disgusted by the article, because what’s more sad than a dead baby dolphin? Commenters could not fathom how travelers could be so insensitive and so destructive.
Then, just today on Facebook, in a women’s travel group I’m a part of, people were skewering a woman who dared to share pictures of her trip to Pamplona, Spain to see the running of the bulls. I have to admit, that as a big fan of Ernest Hemingway’s writing, the running of the bulls is something I’ve always wanted to experience, and I appreciated seeing her viewpoint. It seemed I was in the minority here though. People were HORRIFIED that this woman would share her experience, which they saw as a personal attack on their love for animals as well as a clear show of support for the continued murder of bulls. It seems like many of them were of the opinion that it is the sole job of the traveler to promote kindness, conservation, and fairness for all.
While I certainly don’t disagree that each of these values is so important, I have to ask: what about cultural understanding? Part of the reason we travel is to experience cultures that are often vastly different from our own. These experiences may make us uncomfortable, but I believe that part of our job as travelers is not to judge but to learn as much as we can about other cultures and accept that there are always going to be differences that may not necessarily “jibe” with our own cultural values.
While living in Ecuador, I experienced bullfighting firsthand. As a longtime vegetarian and a fierce animal lover, I honestly wasn’t thrilled to find myself sitting in a bullfighting ring, even with an entire wine skin at my fingertips. It was so difficult for me to get past the idea firmly planted in my mind that I was watching actual animal torture take place in front of me. However, I shifted my attention and spent the majority of my time watching the crowds watch what I considered to be an atrocity. (More about that experience can be found HERE on my old blog…throwback!)
As I watched the crowd, I saw tradition. I saw pride. I saw things in people’s faces that I was unable to experience myself. Although I can’t condone bullfighting, I also can’t NOT condone it. It’s not my place. It’s not part of the culture that I grew up in. I thought my mind was made up about animal treatment in other cultures at this point…it simply wasn’t my place to have an opinion. I can take it in and experience it and think about it a lot and talk about it and learn about it, but I can’t have an opinion on it.
And then I traveled to India. And at the Amber (Amer) Fort in Jaipur, I saw the elephants. Elephants walking on exceptionally hot, exceptionally hard sandstone all day long. Elephants giving rides to tourists, the purpose of which I couldn’t really understand. (Though I’m generally of the mind that if my own feet work I shouldn’t be riding anything–animal or machine.) We were told by our guide that it was our decision to ride the elephants, but that he (and our travel company) opposed the rides because of the inherent cruelty.
I feel this situation was different because our guide was a local. I respected his opinion on this subject as someone who grew up in the culture, was aware of the reality of the situation, and had made an informed decision based on each of these factors. Do tourists still ride the elephants there? Yes, but it doesn’t mean that I have to participate.
So what exactly is our obligation to animals while traveling? I think that this is what it all comes down to: you know what’s important to you as a traveler and you know what you hope to accomplish as a traveler. If your agenda is kindness for all animals in all places, follow that lead. If your agenda is greater cultural understanding, you may have to push your own values aside from time to time. If you are conflicted, listen to the opinions of people who know more about the situation than you do.
Be a responsible tourist. Be a little kinder and a little more careful than you think you need to be. If something doesn’t feel right to you, don’t do it! Lead with love always. Be an example to the world of how you’d like to see the rest of the world treat people, and animals, and nature. But respect other cultures even if you don’t understand them.
And if you are still violently against something, I urge you to learn as much as possible about that thing. Talk to people who understand it even better than you do! Conversation is the absolute best way to change your mind and the minds of others.
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