Online holiday company Thomas Cook has removed the sale of any attraction with captive cetaceans including dolphins, orcas or whales as part of a new animal welfare policy.
The company said customer feedback showed consumers had concerns over, in particular, dolphins in captivity.
Thomas Cook will instead offer and promote wild-watching experiences for whales and dolphins which allow people to experience these animals in their own habitat.
Chief Executive Alan French said: “We know that for our customers going to a zoo or an aqua park is an important part of their holiday and we only want to offer those experiences when we’re confident they abide by the highest welfare standards and are not built on animal suffering.
“We have taken the decision to offer only wild-watching experiences for whales and dolphins to help our customers experience these intelligent and sociable animals in their natural habitat.
“We have been seeing a strong return to bookings following the pandemic, but also a decline in the demand for activities that harm the environment or animals. Our customers care about these issues, and we are proud to be matching those sentiments. It has been an easy decision to make.”
In 2018, the former Thomas Cook business removed from sale any attraction with captive orcas and the new digital business, established in 2020, has gone further, adding facilities where dolphins and whales (cetaceans) are held in captivity.
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The company said customer feedback showed consumers had concerns over, in particular, dolphins in captivity.
Thomas Cook will instead offer and promote wild-watching experiences for whales and dolphins which allow people to experience these animals in their own habitat.
Chief Executive Alan French said: “We know that for our customers going to a zoo or an aqua park is an important part of their holiday and we only want to offer those experiences when we’re confident they abide by the highest welfare standards and are not built on animal suffering.
“We have taken the decision to offer only wild-watching experiences for whales and dolphins to help our customers experience these intelligent and sociable animals in their natural habitat.
“We have been seeing a strong return to bookings following the pandemic, but also a decline in the demand for activities that harm the environment or animals. Our customers care about these issues, and we are proud to be matching those sentiments. It has been an easy decision to make.”
In 2018, the former Thomas Cook business removed from sale any attraction with captive orcas and the new digital business, established in 2020, has gone further, adding facilities where dolphins and whales (cetaceans) are held in captivity.
The post Thomas Cook ends ticket sales to attractions with captive dolphins appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
