National Geographic USA – June 2019

like Meena, and they make up a lucrative seg-

ment of the booming global travel industry.

Twice as many trips are being taken abroad as

15 years ago, a jump driven partly by Chinese

tourists, who spend far more on international

travel than any other nationality.

Wildlife tourism isn’t new, but social media is

setting the industry ablaze, turning encounters

with exotic animals into photo-driven bucket-list

toppers. Activities once publicized mostly in

guidebooks now are shared instantly with mul-

titudes of people by selfie-taking backpackers,

tour-bus travelers, and social media “influencers”

through a tap on their phone screens. Nearly all

millennials (23- to 38-year-olds) use social media

while traveling. Their selfies—of swims with dol-

phins, encounters with tigers, rides on elephants,

and more—are viral advertising for attractions

that tout up-close experiences with animals.

For all the visibility social media provides, it

doesn’t show what happens beyond the view of

the camera lens. People who feel joy and exhila-

ration from getting close to wild animals usually

are unaware that many of the animals at such

attractions live a lot like Meena, or worse.

Photographer Kirsten Luce and I set out to

look behind the curtain of the thriving wildlife

tourism industry, to see how animals at various

attractions—including some that emphasize

their humane care of animals—are treated once

the selfie-taking crowds have gone.

A

FTER LEAVING Maetaman, we take

a five-minute car ride up a winding

hill to a property announced by a

wooden plaque as “Elephant Eco-

Valley: where elephants are in good

hands.” There are no elephant rides

here. No paint shows or other performances. Vis-

itors can stroll through an open-air museum and

learn about Thailand’s national animal. They

can make herbal treats for the elephants and

paper from elephant dung. They can watch ele-

phants in a grassy, tree-ringed field.

EcoValley’s guest book is filled with praise

from Australians, Danes, Americans— tourists

who often shun elephant camps such as Mae-

taman because the rides and shows make them

uneasy. Here, they can see unchained elephants

and leave feeling good about supporting what

they believe is an ethical establishment. What

many don’t know is that EcoValley’s seemingly

carefree elephants are brought here for the

At Sriracha Tiger Zoo,

in Chon Buri, Thailand,

cubs taken from their

mothers at birth are

kept in small cages

and brought out for

photo ops. Mothers

are speed bred to

ensure that there are

always baby cats for

visitors to cuddle.

60 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC