Currently there is absolutely no legislation which governs the practices of UK tour companies when operating abroad with regards to animal welfare. This means the tour companies are able to sell tickets to animal attractions which would be completely illegal in the UK
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The lack of legislation abroad means tour companies have been able to promote and profit from highly controversial animal practices, many of which have been consistently documented to cause extreme animal suffering and are often environmentally unsustainable.
Notable examples of such exploitation include: selling tickets to see or swim with whales and dolphins, selling opportunities to ride on overworked elephants or camels, selling tickets to meet tigers which are often sedated.