Lion World Travel Adopts New TreadRight Animal Welfare Policy

"But perhaps the most important lesson I learned is that there are no walls between humans and the elephants except those that we put up ourselves, and that until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves."

- Lawrence Anthony, The Elephant Whisperer

The humane treatment of Africa’s majestic wildlife is a core value at Lion World Travel. That’s why we have never endorsed elephant-back safaris on any of the vacations we offer to our guests traveling to Africa. Despite our commitment, the practice is widespread in the travel industry: World Animal Protection estimates that over 3,000 elephants in Southern Africa and Asia suffer in captivity as part of tourist attractions including elephant rides and elephant shows. For the welfare of all elephants, the travel industry needs to work together to bring an end to these activities.

We are proud to announce that, in collaboration with the TreadRight Foundation, a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation’s family of brands, we are adopting the TreadRight Animal Welfare Policy. This new policy highlights our commitment to protect the environments we visit and ensures that Africa’s wildlife will remain vibrant for generations to come.

The policy asserts that animals under human control should have freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. We have expressed this new commitment by signing the Elephant-friendly Tourist Pledge with World Animal Protection. The pledge continues Lion World Travel’s commitment to never sell or promote properties or activities that feature elephant rides or shows. We are delighted to be signing this pledge alongside many of our sister companies in The Travel Corporation including African Travel Inc., Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Contiki and Uniworld.

Our commitment to the new TreadRight Animal Welfare Policy and the signing of the Elephant-friendly Tourist Pledge enhances our ongoing sustainable tourism work with the TreadRight Foundation’s Wildlife Initiative. This project supports key sustainability partners including WildAid and the Wilderness Foundation – Africa to ensure the well-being of Africa’s animals.

Learn How Lion World Travel Practices Responsible & Sustainable Travel.