Ep. 15 - Eco-Tourism and Performative Activism

This Saturday on the Conservation Conversation - Ep. 15 - Eco-Tourism and Performative Activism. Eco-Tourism is a difficult area to navigate, with so many companies, zoos, and sanctuaries claiming to help animals, this episode will explore ways to check if your money and visit there is actually helping, or hurting. Did you know a sloth selfie can kill? Being touched by people causes an insane amount of stress on sloths, and often leads to an early death. If you have ever wanted a sloth selfie, or have a pet monkey, or even wanted to visit a place like Shedd Aquarium Chicago, IL or Seaworld, you are hurting the animals you are tricked into thinking you are helping by being there. Many celebrities and even Cconservationists or animal rights activists have been taking selfies with captive animals, which hurts more than helps. As we enter a time where social media paints a lot of our reality, more and more "performance activists" are showing up, asking for your donation dollars, but how can you tell if they are legit? Most of us want to help the animals but are being tricked into causing more harm than good. Animal enslavement for human entertainment From the kill and capture method of acquiring animals for displays, especially endangered or rare animals, like the captive Belugas in Chicago, animal interaction tourist areas keep an industry of poaching thriving. We will talk about eco-tourism, the good and dark side, and offer ways to know if you are going to a place that will actually help! This Saturday!! 1 pm California time and 4pm East Coast time! This episode will be here on Facebook on my channel facebook.com/erik.crown and also on Youtube: Please subscribe to my Youtube channel and click the bell icon for notifications :) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4kA1Tpz1DGbVP6JOijgmKA