To be saddened people still do these things on holiday?

[lastqueenofscotland]

Had a summer of holidays pictures on social media m which had included a lot of people
Swimming with dolphins
Going to sea world in Orlando
Posing with drugged up tigers for pictures
Riding elephants in Thailand

So on and so forth. In an age where information about the poor treatment of these animals is so well known and freely available AIBU to feel a bit sad about it.
I also want to publicly call them out... but that won’t go well.

I agree. My friend went to an orphanage in Thailand and I just don’t see her the same way now.

What’s wrong with visiting an Orphanage? Not that I’ve ever visited one but interested why that’s similar to the examples OP has stated?

What on earth is wrong with volunteering in an orphanage? If you look on websites like work away, there are orphanages all over the world desperate for volunteers - either to help the children with English which could drastically improve their chances of getting into good education or employment, or just as extra staff support to underfunded orphanages, or even just as a novelty/ entertainment for the children who would be so excited to meet and spend time with foreign people and who otherwise have quite sad lives. Please don’t spread the word that volunteering in orphanages is a negative thing sent that’s simply not true in many cases. Sure, companies charging hundreds of pounds to people to volunteer are probably dodgy. But there are SO many orphanages out there desperate for foreign volunteers (for free) which is a lovely way to share culture and get involved in local communities and really make a small but positive difference in some children’s lives. As a qualified English teacher I volunteered at an orphanage in an Asian country where the ability to speak English can change a child’s prospects for the future entirely. The orphanage can’t afford to pay private English teachers and so really relies on volunteers to give the children a good chance in life.

I’m assuming the poster meant an animal orphanage. Thailand has plenty of elephant ‘orphanages’.

Obviously it depends on how ethical the orphanage is and I have to say, after volunteering for several months with elephants in Thailand, I’m yet to hear of an ethical ‘orphanage’ there.

Whats wrong with swimming with dolphins? (genuinely want to know, I thought this was ok? something I'd quite like to do too)

Because they're dicks and all about the instalikes?

OH, I see! I didn’t think realize they had ‘orphanages’ for animals too! Thanks for clearing that up!

I don't think you can equate SeaWorld to drugged up tigers.

Swimming with dolphins means swimming with dolphins in captivity. It's never OK. Dolphins are extremely intelligent and social animals and find being in captivity very stressful. They rarely survive more than a couple of years and suffer all types of stress related diseases. People who think the dolphins enjoy it are deluded.

Yip, the world is just one big entertainment park and its animal inhabitants designed to be used and abused at will by the selfish and vacuous.

User it’s how they capture them. Watch The Cove it will explain it all better than I can.

It's not just how they capture them, it's the miserable lives they have in captivity.

THere have been instances of children taken to orphanages to make money out of volunteering. But probably the vast majority of orphanages are just orphanages who desperately need help. So pp is being a bit ridiculous.

YANBU. Those places are beautiful to visit (we've done Mexico, Thailand and Orlando with the DC over the last few years) but refused to engage in those activities/places because I don't want the DC thinking it's acceptable.

Pp may have meant actual orphanages for children. I’ve been to them to volunteer in Asia, in the days before social media. The charities just needed help/extra support really, nobody at that time was doing it for ‘likes’, although quite possibly wanted to virtue signal/brag.

Nowadays people video themselves giving money to homeless people, take selfies with beggars and even saw one taking a pic with their driver in an Asian country saying how they’d given him “a days wages” as a tip (about £15), bearing in mind he’d ferried them about all day for the same super cheap cost, and how grateful he was to them bla bla. Makes me feel sick, certainly not envious or inspired!

If anyone isn’t sure about whether swimming with captive dolphins, Seaworld etc is in humane, watch Blackfish on Netflix. It’s mostly about captive killer whales but the premise is the same.

Don't force captive dolphins to interact with you. If you really love them and want to see you, let them chose to come to you in the wild. We did and it was magical because they were clearly very happy playing in the open sea. Would not have been anything like as special if it was forced.

I did the elephant thing in Thailand. I spent ages researching different places and found a genuine charity which rescues abused elephants and looks after them well. There are no chains, elephants are ridden bare back because harnesses are bad for them and are not hit. The focus of the day was how to look after them and learning about them. It was a genuinely lovely place. And cost a lot more than other places.
There can be a little nuance to those pictures.

How is sea world unlike drugged up tigers? Both exploit captive wild animals torn from their surroundings and natural habitats to entertain humans and make money.

Yes when we went on holiday a stupid acquaintance asked if we were going to Seaworld. We explained no because it is cruel, etc. Oh no she assured us, we went and the animals look so happy. Some people are just stupid IME.

I agree
I am always a bit embarrassed when you see people showing off in SM about this sort of thing and it does make me feel differently
We have multiple trips to these locations without feeling the need to do this sort of thing

YANBU OP. I would have thought people realise how most animals are treated.

I told my friend who wanted to feed and stroke lions in one of those places to go to the wild and try to stroke a lion, on the tiny chance it let's you then wooohoo and take a selfie, because chances are it wont and the ones that will are drugged up and abused.

Oh I see! I would never want to swim with them in captivity! Hadn't crossed my mind! I assumed all swimming with dolphins was in the open sea! I've been out on the ocean a few times when dolphins have come up to the boat, but I've not had swimming kit to jump in. I'd lo e to swim with them. I wouldn't dream of doing it in captivity though! (Didn't even k ow you could actually do that! Why would you do that when there's oceans out there where they live freely)?

YADNBU.

Whats wrong with swimming with dolphins? (genuinely want to know, I thought this was ok? something I'd quite like to do too)

In captivity - everything. If you want to swim with them, do it in the wild, not so easy granted.

www.bornfree.org.uk/dolphinaria

Just saw your update User.