Avoid the Cinderella Complex

Like many young girls, I really wanted to be a princess when growing up.

I didn’t care so much about the glass slippers (ouch!!), the ball gowns, or even being rescued from a life of drudgery by a handsome prince. Well, okay, I did like the dresses, but what I really envied was how animals just love the Disney princesses.

I’d often sit in my back yard and hold my finger out, waiting patiently for a bird to land there. I’d imagine deer and mice and countless other cute little animals scurrying over to eye me with curiosity before eventually eating food from my hands.

When that didn’t work, I’d surround myself with my stuffed animals—you know that stable of toys that Disney creates with the implicit promise that wild animals are cute and cuddly and they love me unconditionally.

But just like young Jackie Paper, I eventually grew up. And while I still have princess-style aspirations, the one thing I do know is that animals in the wild are not the same thing as the cuddly stuffed toys I grew up with.

And while most people know this on some level, it seems that as soon as they head out on vacation, they lose all reason.

In Mexico, people clamour to board tiny little motorboats to pull up next to migrating whales and pet them on the head, feed them, and do whatever other nonsense tourists do. With the growth in popularity of sustainable and responsible tourism, it is troubling that people still want to get out and conquer wild animals for their own sport. 

Among the concerns should be how safe is this type of program. A year ago, a Canadian tourist was killed after a whale slammed into a sightseeing boat. Certainly accidents like this are rare, but they do remind us that things can go very wrong.

Even more concerning than the potential for danger is the larger issue of how all this human interaction is affecting the behaviours of these wild animals. 

In Canada and the United States, there are much stricter regulation over what can and can’t be done while whale watching. For the most part, a boat must maintain a distance of at least 100 metres from all whales, viewing time should be limited to 30 minutes, and passengers are strictly prohibited from touching, feeding or swimming with whales.

When it comes to dolphins, the laws are a little less clear. In the United States, the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits “harassing” dolphins in the wild, but it is not clear if swimming near a dolphin constitutes harassment.

A recent story in the Associated Press reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is considering tightening restrictions on tours that “swim with the dolphins” in Hawaii. In particular, the issue is that the nocturnal dolphins come into Hawaii’s shallow bays to sleep, but as soon as a pod of resting dolphins is discovered, dozens of tour boats show up and snorkelers immediately encircle the dolphins, essentially leaving them no way to escape from their enforced audience.

Aside from the potential stress faced by the dolphins, there are a host of other reasons why travellers should avoid these kinds of tours. According to Hawaii Nautical, a tour operator that carries NOAA’s official “Dolphin Smart” seal of approval, other reasons to avoiding swimming with dolphins include:

• Dolphins who interact with humans can lose their natural caution, making them more prone to attacks by predators

• Dolphins can become very ill after eating food provided by humans, which can often include items like beer, candy and hot dogs.

• When maternal dolphins learn to rely on food handouts, they don’t teach their babies to forage for food, which can limit their ability to survive in the wild.

• Agitated dolphins absolutely can and do cause serious injuries to humans, in particular by biting them.

So for your next vacation, take along a healthy dose of common sense and ditch your Cinderella desires to co-exist with the animals. And please stop creating demand by shelling out dollars on programs that put you hand-to-flipper with animals in the wild.

Instead book yourself a safe, eco-friendly excursion that will teach you the true messages of sustainability. In the United States, look for Dolphin Smart operators and in Canada, look for operators who adhere to guidelines set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Follow @MonicaPoling