Animal Rights as a Perception of Social Responsibility in Tourism and Recreational Activities
摘要
Social responsibility and animal rights are interconnected concepts that emphasize the ethical treatment of animals and the responsibility of individuals and organizations to consider the impact of their actions on the welfare of animals and the broader society. The mentioned activities are associated with serious violations of animals’ rights and ethics, about which the public is still not sufficiently aware. Camel riding, selfies with animals, swimming with dolphins are widespread entertainment for tourists. Recreational tourism activities around wildlife raise several questions, particularly related to the principles of sustainable tourism. In this mixed context, what is the relationship between animals’ law, ethics, and tourism? Is the tourism concerned with ethics? In this article, using the qualitative research interview method, the relations and perceptions of the stakeholders involved in the context of the two tourism destinations “Marrakesh” and “Essaouira” about the inappropriate treatment of animals in entertainment tourist activities are analysed. The analysis of the results regarding the consequences of the violation of ethics and animal rights revealed the following main problems: restriction of animals’ freedom and right to live in the wild, inadequate conditions for keeping animals, inadequate feeding, and hygiene. The problems can be partly solved by improving the legal framework and tightening controls on ensuring proper animals keeping conditions. As the most concise solution the attention should be paid to the conditions of animals keeping in captivity and their inappropriate using in tourism and recreational activities.