“It was designed for tourists,” said World Animal Protection of Mongolia’s annual Eagle-Hunting Festival & it does not meet the “universally accepted ‘Five Freedoms’ of animal welfare”.
That’s why World Expeditions has decided to remove the festival from all its Mongolia tours effective immediately.
Although Eagle-Hunting has a rich cultural heritage in the East Asian country, the festival itself doesn’t as it was created in 1999 solely for the purpose of boosting tourism, according to World Animal Protection.
It’s this entertainment value that has the animal rights activists pushing for tour operators to remove the Eagle-Hunting Festival from their itineraries.
“The commercial aspect of the festival has unfortunately led to negative impacts on the welfare and the conservation of the eagles.”
Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach, World Animal Protection Senior Wildlife & Veterinary Advisor
World Expeditions is among the first to follow through with World Animal Protection’s advice, with the brand’s Responsible Travel Manager, Donna Lawrence, saying it’s not a passment of judgement on a long-held cultural tradition but the removal of a tourist activity that does not adhere to the principals of animal welfare.
“The eagle hunting festival is a spectacle for tourists and the welfare of the eagles and their prey at the festival does not adhere to the universally accepted ‘Five Freedoms’ of animal welfare”, on which our animal welfare Code of Conduct is based,”
Donna Lawrence, World Animal Protection Responsible Travel Manager
For more information on the changes, contact World Expeditions by clicking here.
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