Investigating the dire conditions of Thailand’s wildlife entertainment venues
Press articles, photographs, and a short film for Born Free Foundation’s ‘Raise the Red Flag’ initiative
Thailand’s Wildlife Tourism Industry
Wildlife Tourism is a $250bl per year industry. However these profits don't come without costs. In this investigation into Thailand’s Wildlife Tourism sector, we learn of boxing orangutans, a gorilla at the top of a shopping mall, performing elephants, and more. Off the back of this project, global petitions are formed, and zoos are investigated and shut down.
At Safari World, Bangkok, we witnessed orangutans being forced to fight in boxing rings, with gloves strapped to their hands and wearing boxing outfits. After the show, tourists gather to have their photos taken with the orangutans.
Orangutans used in these shows have been poached from their jungle homes, their mothers killed in the process.
These shows require the antithesis of the orangutans’ natural behaviours; in the wild, they are gentle, sentient creatures. At Safari World they are reduced to performing monkeys.
We partnered with Born Free Foundation to launch ‘Raise the Red Flag’: an online platform that allows tourists to report their animal welfare concerns at Wildlife Tourism Attractions.
