Is going on safari ethical?

Wild animals more likely to be aggressive to other herd members when people nearby, says new study

An angry rhinoceros has attacked a car in a Mexican safari park
(Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Tourists who go on safari may be damaging elephants’ health, stressing them out and making them more violent both towards people and each other, according to new research.

Wildlife tourism can help protect animals and their habitats by generating income for conservation and providing stable work to local economies. But as safaris become more popular worldwide, “it’s worth remembering that we often don’t know how tourism affects the animals we observe”, say Isabelle Szott and Nicola Koyama, both conservation biologists at Liverpool John Moores University, in an article on The Conversation.

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