World Wildlife Day

Ontario’s African Lion Safari was just named the worst Zoo in North America. And we are furious. Not because they don’t deserve honour- they truly are the scourge of Cambridge Ontario. We are furious because this exploitative and oppressive ‘zoo’ still exists.

In Defense of Animals put out this media release: 10 Worse Zoos for Elephants and at the very top is a person standing on the neck of an elephant who is being forced to perform at African Wild Safari. We encourage everyone to read their media release because it’s really important to understand how disgusting and terrible these places are for animals. In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with a 30-year history of fighting for animals, people and the environment through education, campaigns and hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi. There is nothing that we can add to this conversation that they have not said in the media release, so please do read it and send a donation for their hard work.

But since you are already here… In the meantime let us address just the picture we see.

This animal is a WILD animal. It's not a domestic animal that is happy and gets joy or enrichment from doing tricks and bonding with it's human friend.

It's a WILD animal who's brain, from the moment they are born, sees humans as predators, threats that cause them stress.

Domesticating an animal takes many many many generational changes in the genetics of that animal. See: dogs from wild dogs.

When we rip WILD animals from their homes. When we force them 'behave' and perform for us through violence. When we breed them for even more exploitation. When we support the people who do all of this, or some of this, we support oppression. *We are oppressors.*

What does this animal teach us about biology, about conservation, about empathy, about elephants? How can anyone say this is an educational show, an educational park? It's oppression, it's exploitation, it's violence and it does not serve anyone to have it still open.

It's World Wildlife Day and we are embarrassed that this is happening in Ontario.

#wildlifenotentertainers #worldwildlifeday

Covid-19 Portal Update

No, it’s not a magic portal to help you get to a world without Covid-19, it’s our information page! We update it when we know anything new or can give you any updates. We of course, put all updates on social and in our newsletter, too! But, why not have as much information out in the world as possible. Please, don’t be strangers though, if you have any questions or concerns, send us an email! We are happy answer things as best we can.

Here are our newest updates on our Covid-19 page:

• We do not have any updates about when Canada will be easing travel restrictions. But we encourage everyone to see this as positive. Setting hard dates is often not based on science, it’s based on commerce. In order to keep everyone safe and alive, we should be looking at science based, community dependant and conditional easing of restrictions.

• AEI will not have a ‘Covid Guarantee’ on fees as we have always made deposits 100% transferable. Signing up for a trip should not cause financial hardship or anxiety, if you need to change your dates because of health, travel changes or anything not pandemic related, we are happy to help. You can read more about our cancellation policy here.

• Currently the best way to help is by donating. Centres around the world are hurting because volunteers are sometimes their only source of income. Small donations once you and your family are taken care of, will really make a difference. We are collecting donations through our website so you don’t have to pay admin or bank fees. Just write where you would like your donations to go and we will get it to the centre ASAP.

Consent Based Travel

Over the next month we will be explaining more about the importance of what we are calling consent based travel. But here are the basics for those who want to know right now!

In order for a relationship to be healthy it must be a consenting relationship and we think that travel is all about healthy relationships. Relationships with the host communities, relationships with the animals and relationships with ourselves. SO, the easiest way to understand if we are participating in ethical and healthy travel is to see to see if everyone is consenting.

Some communities have vulnerable populations and are asking for travellers coming in 2021 to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. In order to have a consenting relationship with these hosts, we will need to be fully vaccinated. Easy, we just have to be patient!

What about animals? Importantly, coercion is not consent. If an animal must be tied up, chained or contained in a cage (or tank) to interact with you, it’s not a healthy and consenting interaction.

How can you know you are a consenting traveller? Well, do you actually want to travel right now? Are you being true to yourself and doing what you want not just doing what the gram wants? After a year of self care, be real with yourself, what do you want? If you aren’t comfortable travelling right away, that is totally okay! It’s a strange and anxious time, this is why we are planning more group trips for down the road. We want to make sure people are actually comfortable and enjoying their travels.

We will be expanding on these topics soon but if you have any questions or want to learn more don’t be afraid to message us. We are here to make sure you, the animals and the communities around the world stay safe, content and respected.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe out there.

Nora

Travel 2021 and 2022 on your own terms!

By now, you probably know A LOT about the vaccine roll outs. Yippie! We can travel again... as a slight reality check, while these vaccines are very promising and have given us (finally) some hope in this dumpster of a year, having a safe and effective vaccine around the corner does not mean mass vaccinations for everyone around the corner. What we need to remember is we will be living in the Covid era for a while longer. The world will not be able to get vaccinated over night, or even over a month or two. BUT the world will be able to open up to travel because of other technologies being trailed and refined now: testing!

Covid-19 testing is opening up countries around the world as we speak! British Airways is piloting a program that they personally rapidly test all passengers at the start and finish of all journeys and more countries are opening boarders to those who can show off their negative test. 

No one on Earth has thought more about ethical and safe travel than travel advisors like us. Trust us, we have spent hundreds of hours in meetings, webinars and planning sessions with partners, industry leaders and travel/medical/mental health/epidemiology experts. We aren't just committed to making sure you can travel safely and security- we want to travel, too!  How can we make sure everyone is safe? Testing and social distancing at our already spacious and rural locations. 

What else can we do? We are going to travel WITH you in 2021 and 2022. We are going to still have our normal solo adventures available but we are going to plan more expeditions! We aren't here to hold your hand, we are here to have your back. Make sure you are safe, covid secure and comfortable. We don't have dates yet but all the small group trips are going to be to our partners. You can go to our website and already see where you can travel with us! 

Our small and rural wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centres are perfect for those wanting to avoid crowds (all of us in 2021), they are located away from large cities. You stay privately in sanitized and clean accomodation and when you volunteer you volunteer socially distanced with other people who (like you) have tested negative for Covid-19. 

These trips aren't for everyone, in fact our spaces are VERY limited so we can ensure private accomodation and distanced volunteer activities. But if you want to travel this year, we have been prepping for 11 months to make sure you can do it safely and as always ethically and authentically. 

We will be announcing locations and dates over the next few months so keep an eye out! 

TL;DR

We are going to be leading small group trips in 2021 and 2022 because we want to do the work while you have an amazing animal adventure. Covid secure, safe, comfortable and of course ethical trips guided by Nora and Heather!

I want to travel in 2021!

I want to wait a bit longer but would like more info...

All About Elephants!

Elephants - the largest land mammal on Earth and incredibly intelligent creatures. Elephants are highly social animals, living in matriarchal groups, with the matriarch (usually the oldest female) making the decisions for the herd. Male elephants leave the family group after adolescence to join bachelor herds or live on their own. Elephants are socially complex, seeming to understand how other elephants are feeling, demonstrating empathy, assisting each other and even mourning their dead.
 

African elephants and Asian elephants may live on different continents, but they are very similar in behaviour and appearance. African elephants tend to be larger, have bigger ears, a rounder head and a concave back compared to their Asian cousins. African elephants can live to be 70 years and Asian elephants can live up to 50 years in the wild.

Seeing an elephant for the first time, you will instantly understand why they are respected and revered - and at times feared. Elephants are massive, and they are incredibly strong. Adult males weigh up to six tonnes, while male Asian elephants can weigh up to five tonnes. These giants are vegetarians, eating a wide range of plant material, including grass, leaves, woody parts of trees and shrubs, roots, flowers and fruits when available. An adult needs to eat up to 150 kg (330 lbs) of food a day – that’s 50 tonnes a year!

Trunks and Tusks

Their most notable feature, their trunk, is an extension of the upper lip and nose, and is used for breathing, smelling, touching, grasping and producing sound. Baby elephants will even suck on their trunk to soothe themselves, like children will suck their thumb. The trunk is very muscular and a male elephant can use their trunk to lift a load of more than 250 kg. That's over 550 lbs! Their distinctive tusks are actually long upper incisor teeth, and are used as a tool to dig for food or water and to strip bark from trees. Tusks are also used as a weapon during fights with rivals, and by males to court females who appreciate larger tusks in their partners. Both male and female African elephants have tusks, while only some male Asian elephants have them. Female Asian elephants have shorter tusks called tushes.

Threats to Elephants

Ivory, which refers to the tusks, has been long treasured by humans, and is used to make luxury goods like jewellery and carvings, piano keys and billiard balls. Ivory is one of the main threats to the survival of the elephant species, as elephants are still hunted for their ivory tusks despite international bans and regulations. Asian elephants also face threats from tourist attractions where people pay to ride on their backs or to be entertained by performances. The hidden truth is that to make elephants submit to elephant rides and other human interactions, they are taken from their mothers when babies and forced through a horrific training process that essentially breaks their spirit. And the ongoing treatment of captive elephants is often appalling. As if this wasn't enough, elephants are also losing their habitats through the destruction of forests and the development of land. Elephants need large spaces in which to live and this loss has threatened their survival and pushed them into more conflict situations with humans.

We have the power

We have the power to help protect elephants. As tourists, as consumers and as animal lovers we can ensure we are not contributing to these problems and that we are actively supporting change. When traveling, or at home, do not buy or sell products that contain ivory. Do not support attractions that offer elephant rides or shows, and instead look for organizations that commit to offering elephant experiences with a high standard of elephant welfare and conservation, with responsible viewing of elephants in wild or semi-wild habitats. 

Animal Experience International has taken a stand by pledging not to sell or promote cruel elephant activities, and to help to avert future crises by making this the last generation of captive elephants used for entertainment. AEI volunteers help at an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand that provides refuge for rescued elephants, allows the elephants opportunities for normal socialization and upholds a high standard of care. You too can join the team and help provide care for these amazing creatures!

Click here to learn how to help elephants!

Virtual Volunteering WIN!

During the summer we teamed up with Fanimal to help get more people remotely volunteering on international programs (https://fanimal.online/how-to-virtually-help-all-animals-remotely/).

What kind of volunteering: some looked through camera trap photos to identity animals, others took over social media for a month and others helped with translation and editing. Often times centres need their plaques and guidebooks to be in English. Many centres we work with have non native English speaking scientists who can translate documents from their native language to English but need native English speakers to look over everything and do some edits.

A brilliant and wonderful volunteer helped edit these signs to make sure they were 100% correct and 100% AP style guide approved. Now these conservation plaques will be up for years and years and help THOUSANDS of visitors to Mongolia understand the natural history of the area.

How cool is that? If you want to help with translation or anything else that can take place remotely, let us know! We can’t wait to help more animals with your help.

Covid-19 and Travelling to Thailand

We have recently had some people postpone their trip to Thailand due to Covid-19 and fears of infection.

Let us say, this is a high stress time with misinformation swirling around quite a lot. We are really happy to be able to be able to talk more about Covid-19 because we believe with more information we all can make better decisions about travel. Remember all media can be divided up into three categories: what we know is true (science based fact), what we think is true (how we interpreted those facts) and then speculation/ opinion. When you are reading about Covid-19, travel and really anything at all, it’s important to be critical about the publication, the author, the bias and the ‘facts’. Its important to look for articles that states their sources and reference trusted sources. The World Health Organization: trusted. My Uncle Jimmy who posts an unreferenced photo of an unnamed market in an unnamed country: not trusted.

We have been watching this outbreak as well and have been in constant contact with our group in Thailand to see what things look like on the ground. Currently, the Covid-19 virus has been reported in Thailand, with a total of 40 people infected. 13 of those have been new infections in the last month. Currently, there are more people in the United State of America that have been infected with Covid-19 than in Thailand. Thailand, with it's high level of development, health care and massive emphasis on tourism is in a unique position that they have been able to keep travelers and residents protected from outbreaks. 

Thailand is Asia’s most prepared country in the event of an epidemic, as ranked by Johns Hopkins University, and sixth out of 165 countries globally. Thailand ranked second in having a robust health system capable of treating the sick and protecting healthcare workers. It was ranked third in the prevention of the emergence or release of pathogens.

Currently we follow the World Health Organization and the government of Canada travel advisories and both have not changed how they rank travel to Thailand. Neither of them have warned that travel to Thailand would be dangerous or put you at risk of Covid-19. We have no reason to believe that travel to Thailand would be dangerous at this time. If things change, of course we will alert our travellers and we will be able to change their trip. However, knowing how well prepared Thailand is and how well they have kept their people and travelers safe in past pandemics (SARS, H1N1, etc), we and global experts have no reason to believe our travelers will be at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 if they travel to Thailand. 

It is also important to note that our wildlife and elephant centre is 2,464 km away from Wutan province, where the Covid-19 outbreak originated. This is the same distance from Toronto to the south of Cuba. Travel has been banned and restricted in China and between China and most other countries which is why we are seeing very few reports of Covid-19 in places outside of China.

We are cautiously optimistic that the vaccine that is being tested now will bring safety to even more people in the coming months. 

Is Covid-19 scary to read about? Yes it is. But so are other viruses and diseases that we have now become blind to: rabies, malaria, zika, etc. So before you cancel your trip because it seems like Covid-19 is dangerously everywhere, please contact us so we can discuss with you more details about it. Hand washing continues to be the best way to stop the spread of infection so no matter if you travel or not, please wash your hands.

We really recommend listening to the podcast: Science Vs. They do a science based breakdown of Covid-19 that could really help clear a lot of the misinformation. We really like this source because they have a huge number of citations that you can go through yourself. They have a new episode they released in March: Science Vs. Corona Virus Updated.

UPDATE: Here is the most recent statement from our partner in Thailand:

We are following news updates of the virus and advice of health professionals on how to best deal with the situation. 

There have been 19 confirmed cases of the virus in Thailand and 1000’s more around the world, mostly in China but also in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Australia, Canada, the USA, among others. There have currently been no fatalities outside China. The virus can only be fatal in humans with underlying health conditions, the elderly and the young.

Luckily, our centre is not within an area where we see a large number of Chinese tourists. However local beach resorts of both Cha am and Hua Hin are busy tourist destinations so we recommend avoiding visiting these places and if volunteers do visit these places they are advised to where a mask. Volunteers are also advised to avoid any unnecessary contact with other humans and regularly wash their hands.

We recommend that volunteers do not fly through Mainland China prior to coming to Thailand.

While at the airports, using public transport, or other heavily populated areas we recommend wearing a mask and avoiding any unnecessary contact with other humans.

We think the risk of coming into contact with the virus while at the centre is less that it would in any other country in the world who have already seen the virus. It is no different to attending school, work or visiting your local shopping mall.

We hope that world leaders and health authorities deal with the spread of the virus around the world fast and effectively.

Please let us know if you have any further questions

A Discount for Your Donation!

It’s the time of year when our thoughts turn to giving – bringing happiness to others and spreading holiday cheer. We want to thank you for all the great things that you do and for all the lives that are touched by your kindness. Inspired by the tremendous generosity we saw on Giving Tuesday, we thought why not make every day in December a giving day? We would love to help you give the gift of travel to yourself in 2020!

Simply make a donation in December to ANY animal or environmental charity and Animal Experience International will thank you by giving you a discount on your fees! Share the love, spread the joy, help the world and make a difference for animals! In our busy lives, we can sometimes forget that the simple act of giving can have powerful effects. Our little ripple can lead to a tidal wave of change. And we want to help you, help important organizations around the world!

It's as simple as donating what you can to ANY conservation group you love, such as Latin American Sea Turtles, Nature Canada, Greenpeace, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust or your local animal shelter - then emailing us a copy of your receipt. We will then thank you by giving you 10% off your fees! 

Make 2020 your year of adventure. Continue to make the world a better place by traveling on an AEI adventure, meeting new friends and lending a hand to an amazing animal organization!

*Discount applies to new applications only, submitted to Animal Experience International on or before January 15, 2020. Financial donations to the charity of your choice must be made between December 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.