© Flickr/Stefan MagdalinskiOn a recent trip to St. Kitt’s, sitting at a picnic table at an outdoor café, enjoying a local Carib beer and some lively island music, and soaking in the sun and sights with my mother, I noticed a crowd begin to gather. Phones and cameras were being taken out all around me. I turned around to check out whatever the attraction might be.[teaserbreak]
To my great dismay, there was a monkey, on a rope, entertaining the tourists by “dancing” to the music. But, this monkey is not dancing. He’s hopping from the ground to tabletops, running to and fro, and straining his leash—all behavior showing anxiety and frustration. He’s scared. He’s tied up. And, he’s in a raucous crowd of humans that he can’t get away from no matter how hard he tries. His natural instincts are to be high up in the treetops, but he’s forced to be on the ground, where his stress level becomes incredibly high.
Leaving this scene, as we walked back to our cruise ship, we passed through the terminal, where amid the shops of t-shirts and knick-knacks, wandered a gaggle of men, each wearing a shirt that read “Pet Me” and carrying a baby monkey. Tourists, having paid the fee, were posed for photos holding these frightened babies. I even saw one family, smiling with their toddler in arms and the monkey on the girl’s shoulder. I could only shudder at the danger that posed to that child, and silently mourn the monkey’s fate. Where are the mothers of all these baby monkeys? For every baby monkey a tourist pets, at least two or three monkeys have likely died in order to steal the baby.
These kinds of photo-ops are ubiquitous in vacation destinations. Parrots, iguanas, monkeys, and many other animals are bred into or captured from the wild for a life of servitude. If you love animals like I do, please don’t feed the system by paying for photos, swimming with dolphins or sting rays, or buying trinkets made with animal parts. As you travel this summer, please take a moment to consider the animals’ lives. Walk by these abusive attractions, and then go enjoy a tropical cocktail knowing that you travel cruelty-free and with respect for all beings. Or, even better, let your voice be heard by contacting cruise lines and resorts that offer “swim-with” excursions and ask them to cease these operations.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
