Interview Time
This month we caught up with Daniel Turner from Born Free. The Foundation has a new e-mail news service which is being used in the fight to bring global animal cruelty to an end – once and for all.
1. Where did the initiative for the free e-mail news service come from and what are the primary objectives of this?
For many years, the Born Free Foundation has been working directly with the UK tour operators to help the industry in their endeavours to become more responsible and to ensure their holidays enhance and benefit the destination rather than just exploit its resources. The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity dedicated to the welfare and protection of animals, and the conservation of natural environments. In our endeavours to improve the lives of animals, education is integral and as well as engaging the public in our work, Born Free also seeks to inform others as to how their actions can impact on animals and their welfare.
The Animal Alert! e-news is part of an initiative called Travellers Animal Alert which aims to raise greater awareness about global animal exploitation and bad practice and further, encourages feedback to inform Born Free of animals in need around the world. Travellers Animal Alert! was created exclusively for the travel industry to educate tour operators, travel publications and national tourist boards to help the industry understand how tourism can both impede and benefit animal protection and welfare.
Our post bag and email inbox demonstrates how much people care about the welfare of animals. Born Free receives thousands of reports about animals in need around the world, witnessed by people on their travels. The natural environment and animals often feature within holidays - whether it is an experience viewing wildlife in the wild, visiting a captive animal facility as part of an excursion or having a brief encounter when en route. For many people animals are fascinating with an awesome presence and amazing forms, displays and attributes, which we often compare with our own but, tourism can often take advantage and impede animals - whether they live free in the wild or are kept for display.
To supply the increasing demand, resorts are often crammed with opportunities for encounters with animals. On safari truckloads of tourists congregate around mothers and their young, they intervene during hunts and opportunities to swim with dolphins occur in chlorinated swimming pools. People are given the chance to have souvenir photographs taken holding a lion cub or they simply like to enjoy a day out at the zoo. These are all conditions which cause animals discomfort, distress, harm or even death.
The Born Free Foundation responds to the reports it receives, working with governments, Non-Governmental Organisations and the public to seek improvement and change but, the travel industry is often overlooked. Some countries depend on tourism and the demands made by this industry often stimulate more action than a hundred letters of concern. Travellers Animal Alert! provides the means to relay this public concern back to the travel industry, informing the industry of bad practice and encouraging them to take action to seek improvement. The service is non-invasive, informative, it provides information about bad practices, the relevant work of the Born Free Foundation and news from recent scientific studies. This is Born Free's initiative to engage an industry.
2. What would be the dream result for this new publication?
It is hoped that Travellers Animal Alert! will reach a wider global audience so that more tour operators are informed about bad practice where certain activities are having a detrimental effect on animals and their welfare. Born Free has just published its second issue of Travellers Animal Alert! and there are currently 80 subscribers consisting of tour operators, travel publications and national tourist boards. By next year we hope to have subscribers from all over the world and ultimately the industry taking action to make a real difference and help phase-out bad practice.
3. What are the results you have witnessed so far?
These are early days and only two issues have been published so far, however, the industry has welcomed the quarterly newsletter and more tour operators have asked to subscribe as news spreads of its existence. Bad practice often occurs because decision makers are ill-informed or ignorant as to how an activity may have negative implications. Travellers Animal Alert! informs and educates and it is encouraging to see that the travel industry is keen to learn and make a concerted effort to make their tourism experiences more responsible.
4. How can the St Christopher's demographic throw its weight behind the project?
By subscribing, St Christopher's will receive up to date and accurate news about issues concerning animals – their welfare and conservation, as well as Born Free's work in helping to prevent captive animal suffering and the protection of wildlife in the wild. The information may not be always be directly relevant to the E-zine subscribers but perhaps it will generate interest and stimulate action. Ultimately the more eyes and ears that are open to these kinds of issues - the more feedback we will receive about animals in need and the more animals we will be able to help. This would ensure that tourism ceases to impede on the natural world but instead protects it for future generations.
For information on all the work carried out by the Foundation, please visit the Born Free website.
