World Animal Protection moves Expedia Group to finally prohibit cruel captive whale and dolphin activities
Press release
Global travel platform Expedia Group confirmed it has listened to World Animal Protection supporters and decided to end its support for whale and dolphin interactions and circus-style performances by prohibiting the sale of them via their website.
This change of direction from Expedia Group is testament to the perseverance of over 350,000 World Animal Protection supporters who have been campaigning tirelessly on this issue since 2019 and throughout the global pandemic, keeping up the pressure on the travel giant to do the right thing.
Nick Stewart, Global Head of Wildlife at World Animal Protection said:
“World Animal Protection has moved Expedia to stop selling tickets to cruel dolphin shows and interactions and we are thrilled. This is a huge victory for whales and dolphins around the world.
“Like the dolphins who perform at these cruel circuses, we have had to jump through many hoops to get to this point. But after two years of tenacious campaigning, Expedia has heard the call of our supporters loud and clear.
“This is a significant step towards our goal of ending dolphin cruelty. We want this to be the last generation of whales and dolphins suffering in captivity for entertainment. For too long, dolphins, whales and other cetaceans have been forced to perform like begging clowns in exchange for food, while living in concrete, barren tanks. The travel industry makes huge profits from this and fuels this endless cycle of cruelty. This latest move by the world's largest travel company Expedia Group is a positive one, but there is still work to be done with other travel giants such as TUI, who are still supporting this cruelty.
“We will not stop until the cruel commercial exploitation of dolphins and other wildlife is ended, forever. Dolphins are wild animals - not entertainers.”
World Animal Protection is glad that Expedia Group has recognised that simply aligning their policy to WAZA standards does not go far enough. WAZA still offers accreditation and membership to zoos and aquariums that include cruel captive whale and dolphin experiences and other wild animal shows and interactions.
Accreditation of a zoo and aquarium body alone is not enough for such an attraction to be considered responsible and humane enough for travel companies like Expedia to justify promoting them.
World Animal Protection and its supporters will not stop campaigning to stop the cruel commercial exploitation of dolphins and other wildlife by tourism and other industries that profit from their suffering.
Learn more about Expedia Group’s updated animal welfare policy here
Like the dolphins who perform at these cruel circuses, we have had to jump through many hoops to get to this point. But after two years of tenacious campaigning, Expedia has heard the call of our supporters loud and clear.