Elephants from The Pinnawela Orphanage walk their daily route down towards the river to bathe.
Corbis via Getty Images
Following disturbing footage from Tanzania’s Great Migration, which shows vehicles blocking wildebeest crossings, and renewed attention to camel mistreatment in Egypt, the conversation around wildlife tourism has garnered significant media attention in 2025. And as the spotlight widens, a shift toward transparency is reshaping the industry.
Travel companies like Jacada Travel, Intrepid Travel and Go2Africa argue that saying no to harmful activities is essential to keeping travel meaningful even if it means losing business.
They also back it up by auditing hundreds, if not thousands, of partners to ensure that every experience they endorse fully aligns with their standards for ethics, safety and sustainability.
It Is A Learning Process
Natalie Lyall-Grant, head of positive impact at Jacada Travel, noted in a Zoom interview that many travelers seek value-driven experiences, but they often still require guidance on what responsible travel and ethical wildlife tourism entail.
“I would definitely love to get to the point where even our guests can be adding to our flag system,” said Lyall-Grant. However, she believes that until that happens, it is up to travel companies to pay attention and say no when guests request unethical experiences.
Under her guidance, Jacada Travel, a company specializing in highly customizable luxury private tours, conducted a comprehensive audit this year and, as a result, removed 40 animal encounters from its portfolio.
Go2Africa, a safari tour operator working exclusively across Africa, also completed an audit of over 600 partners in Southern Africa in 2025, assessing their conservation and community impact.
Liesel van Zyl, head of positive impact and product development at Go2Africa, said in an email interview that the audit was a massive undertaking, but the company approached it as both a learning process and a call to action.
Intrepid Travel, a global small-group adventure company recognized for its responsible travel policies and community-based experiences, collaborated with World Animal Protection to develop an open-source Animal Welfare Policy and Toolkit to share them with other travel companies.
The Power Of Common Goals
Go2Africa’s audit highlighted that while 71% of its partners had active sustainability or impact projects, there is room for improvement. Only 15% of suppliers held Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) accreditation, and 17% showed no evidence of sustainability efforts.
“We have started to isolate our top spend partners who do not comply, and we will personally be reaching out to each of them to explore what opportunities can be identified within the next year,” said van Zyl about the results.
Giraffes herd in the savannah
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Others I spoke with echoed the focus on collaboration rather than disengagement.
Leigh Barnes, president of Americas at Intrepid Travel, explained in an email interview, “Every partner we work with for our trips has to share our values and meet the standards our travelers expect. When gaps appear, we don’t walk away, we work together to create the change we want to see.”
Lyall-Grant also emphasized the crucial role of destination management companies (DMCs) and the importance of partnerships in upholding ethical standards. “We put a lot of emphasis on how we select and onboard new DMCs to ensure that we are value-aligned,” she explained.
Since Jacada requires DMCs to sign a contract that includes the annual commitments they need to uphold, Lyall-Grant shared that DMCs were very supportive of this audit and were able to provide excellent alternatives right away.
When asked what happens if any partners fail a repeat screening, Barnes replied, “If a supplier struggles to meet our standards for safety, ethics, or sustainability, we see it as an opportunity to collaborate and improve. Our goal is to lift the whole industry, while keeping our travelers’ trust at the center.”
That same emphasis on collaboration is echoed by others I interviewed.
Lyall-Grant believes the future lies in collective influence. “I regularly meet with competitors and other tour operators to discuss what we can do together to drive industry-wide change,” she said.
Van Zyl also agreed that inspiring each other is the way to move forward. Go2Africa would like to be part of the transformation within the travel industry that moves towards ethical experiences.
Why Should It Matter For Travelers?
Travel companies like Jacada, Intrepid, and Go2Africa argue that the most ethical wildlife encounters may not always be the most convenient ones.
Lyall-Grant pointed out two red-flag practices that travelers should avoid: any experience involving physical contact with wild animals, and those where animals are kept in cages or confined spaces solely for entertainment.
Caged lions in Kampot, Cambodia.
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She acknowledged that a small percentage of guests still seek direct animal interactions, such as touching or holding wild animals. “We knew that would happen, and that’s okay,” she said. “We’re happy not to provide that experience, even if it means losing some business.”
However, she also added that just because an experience, such as bathing elephants or swimming with whales, is deeply rooted in local traditions and has been happening for a long time, it does not mean it is safe for either animals or humans.
A woman is bathing an elephant by the river.
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“In January, a 22-year-old girl was killed in Thailand while washing and bathing elephants. And you know, we may think that these experiences are safe because they’re happening over and over again, but they’re not,” said Lyall-Grant.
How can travelers tell the difference between genuinely ethical wildlife experiences and those that only market themselves that way? Read about the five golden rules experts recommend.
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