Industry First: Luxury Travel Provider Scott Dunn Drops Camel Rides
Industry First: Luxury Travel Provider Scott Dunn Drops Camel Rides
London – After learning from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that camels forced to give rides to tourists in Egypt are restrained, beaten, and abused in other ways, luxury travel provider Scott Dunn has confirmed that it will stop selling tours and packages involving camel rides. It is the first travel company to take this compassionate step for these sensitive, intelligent animals, and it – along with other leading providers – also has a policy of not promoting marine parks with whales and dolphins, “swim with dolphins” experiences, or elephant rides.
“In line with our Responsible Travel policy and its pillar of Protecting the Environment and Wildlife, Scott Dunn have suspended the promotion and sale of all camel rides in Egypt,” says Scott Dunn Global Sales and Product Director Simon Lynch. “PETA Asia’s investigation highlighted the cruel conditions faced by camels and horses used for tourist rides. We will also aim to remove camel rides from our product range to encompass all destinations worldwide.”
“Kudos to Scott Dunn for sparing countless camels suffering in the tourism industry,” says PETA Corporate Projects Manager Dr Carys Bennett. “PETA urges other travel companies to follow Scott Dunn’s lead and begin their own journeys into the world of animal protection by cutting support for camel rides and other cruel activities and attractions.”
PETA Asia eyewitnesses at tourist sites in Egypt, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, saw these regal animals being beaten bloody with sticks by men and children before being sold to the tourism industry. Used for rides in the blistering heat, they were denied access to food, water, and shade. Some were later sold for meat. Likewise, in Petra, Jordan, a PETA Asia eyewitness saw that camels were forced to work with fly-infested, open wounds caused when workers pulled hard on their bridles. The group urges tourists to vote with their wallets and avoid such activities instead of perpetuating this abuse.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]
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