The next morning we found ourselves clambering from a platform onto a wooden bench strapped to the back of an elephant before setting off up deep mud tracks and through the trees on our very own elephant, while our “driver” egged it on. It wasn’t until the driver started nudging the elephant on that I started to feel bad. It kept stopping to eat or wandering off in a direction of its own choosing. All it wanted to do was its own thing and yet it was being forced to take me for a walk. Is it really fair for animals like these to be forced to satisfy the wants of tourists?

I got my answer when we sat down to lunch and I realised it was actually, in a way, “yes”. The company that we used was a rescue centre for elephants, and whilst we were munching away we were provided with a brochure detailing the lives of the elephants before they came to the centre. Unsurprisingly, elephants are expensive pets and they need to earn their keep in order for them to be looked after. The ones at the centre all seemed to have been put to work previously in the logging industry. Many were, at least partially, blind from where they had been injured whilst working. Our elephant’s profile told us that she’s been stabbed and drugged in order to make her work longer and harder. Suddenly, taking a stroll with a relatively lightweight human on their backs didn’t sound so bad. In comparison, it was a much better way to earn a living than the painful alternative of logging.

Sadly, not every company offering the same activity seem to have been set up for the same reason, not every place treats the elephants well and in some cases they are mistreated for the sake of gratifying tourists. These places may be cheaper than what we paid but it was hardly a high price to pay for a once in a lifetime activity and came less guilt-ridden.

The same cannot be said for my trip to stroke tigers. For a small price we were granted entry to a tiger park where we were able to get up close to have photos taken with the animals. We’d heard much about tigers being drugged at such places but I was unable to tell if this was the case for me. It seemed unlikely that tourists would be so keen on an activity if there was a high risk of a mauling. Certainly they were all chained down but one was too rowdy for the staff to allow visitors near, two cubs were playful, a few were asleep but some were awake and just seemed to pay no attention to the people milling around, even the ones touching them. When near the tigers, we weren’t allowed to be without a member of staff and had to sign a disclaimer before entering the park, there was a designated tiger “playtime” which you could pay extra to view close up (from the safety of a cage) and we found ourselves being shouted at by a frantic guy who was clearing an area while one of the tigers was being taken for a walk before being fed and posing for more photos.

The point I’m trying to make is this: do your research. There are places that treat the animals properly, they may charge you more, but these are the places that deserve your money.

I showed this video to Maya and now she’s totally excited about going to Houston to see them.  3 hours away in Austin there is actually the nations largest urban bat colony. Every night, 2.5 million bats emerge from the Congress Avenue Bridge and go off into the distance.  Who knew that such an amazing natural event could be seen right downtown?!

Animal tourism is a growing industry and it’s a fabulous way to make a trip extra special for your child while also discovering a destination you might not have thought to go to otherwise.  Not only do you get to commune with nature but your child will be so excited about getting to experience something that is near and dear to them. An excellent resource for planning your animal centric trip is the website animaltourism.com. I used this website to find where in the country we could view bat colonies. They have a fabulous interactive map that shows you exactly where you can see your favorite animals be it bats, turtles, or even condors.  Each entry on the map gives you information about that particular colony and is integrated with Google maps so you can easily plan your trip.  Additionally, they have lots of links to animal specific organizations where you can get even more information.

So get out of the aquarium and the zoo and go commune with nature! If you’re strapped for cash (because who isn’t?!) don’t worry! There are animal habitats all across the country and there’s more than likely one close to you.  Who knows, maybe you’ll discover that, like me, you have a herd of bison running free range that you can visit just two hours away!