EXPEDIA GROUP ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY

At Expedia Group (Expedia), we believe travel is a force for good. We help people go places and help them do so with respect for the people, animals, and natural environments of our planet. When done responsibly and thoughtfully, activities involving animals can instill a deeper connection with the natural world, promote conservation, enhance the human experience, and drive interest in the treatment and survival of all animals.

Expedia requires all its supply partners (Suppliers) to represent and warrant that their products are, and will remain, compliant with this Animal Welfare Policy, as updated from time to time. Expedia will notify a Supplier if it believes that all, or part, of its products violate this Animal Welfare Policy and that Supplier will have 30 days from such notice to bring its products into compliance with this Animal Policy. If, at Expedia’s sole discretion, the Supplier fails to make changes necessary for its products to comply with this Animal Welfare Policy, Expedia may remove all, or part, of those Supplier’s products from Expedia’s sites or terminate its agreement with that Supplier at the end of the 30 days’ notice. Supplier will not be entitled to payment for any products that Expedia determines to be in violation of this Animal Welfare Policy and will immediately return any payments for such products already made by Expedia.



ANIMAL WELFARE PRINCIPLES

We believe that the individuals who have spent their lives studying and researching animals and spend time regularly observing and helping them are best positioned and most qualified to evaluate the welfare of animals as well as the facilities that house them. These organizations are guided by the following principals for animal welfare:

  1. Nutrition - A suitable, species-appropriate diet will be provided in a way that ensures full health and vigor, both behaviorally and physically.
  2. Environment - Animals will experience an appropriate environment that encourages opportunities to self-maintain and promotes ongoing comfort and safety.
  3. Health - Animals will have the opportunity to experience good physical health, including access to a wellness program as well as rapid diagnosis and treatment of injury/disease to ensure ongoing robustness and vitality through all life stages.
  4. Behavior - Quality spaces and appropriate social groupings will be provided that encourage species-appropriate behaviors at natural frequencies and of appropriate diversity while meeting social and developmental needs of each species in the collection.
  5. Choice and control - Animals will have an opportunity for choice and control to seek out and achieve a positive welfare state while able to make choices to avoid suffering and distress.
  6. Affective or mental states - Conditions will be provided in which animals will have the opportunity to experience a predominance of positive emotional states and minimize negative survival-related experiences and emotional states.

GUEST WELFARE PRINCIPLES

For our guests to have best possible experience when undertaking an activity involving animals, the following guiding principles will be applied:

  1. Safety - The activity operator must ensure the guest is safe at all times.
  2. Environment - Where experiences involve wild animals, the operator will ensure a safe distance is maintained between the guest and the animal(s) and that the guest receives a full briefing of the experience and actions to take in the event of an emergency.
  3. Equipment - Satisfactory safety equipment will be provided such as fences, rails, and specialist equipment where the activity requires it.
  4. Health - Operators will not permit guests to interact or have physical contact with sick, diseased, or disturbed animals. Guests will not be put in a position where they risk injury from or related to the animal.
  5. Risk - The operator will not run an animal-related activity where the guest faces a risk of serious injury, risk of hospitalization, or specialized medical attention.

SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES

Zoos and Aquariums

We will only work with zoos and aquariums that are members of or are in the process of gaining accreditation from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) or have membership and/or accreditation via one of their 24 regionally recognized associations around the globe. In addition to being accredited, all zoos and aquariums must adhere to our dolphin and whale policy.

Our policy utilizes the AZA definition of a zoo or aquarium:

“A permanent institution which owns and maintains wildlife, under the direction of a professional staff, provides its animals with appropriate care and exhibits them in an aesthetic manner to the public on a regular basis. The institution, division, or section shall further be defined as having as their primary mission the exhibition, conservation, and preservation of the earth’s fauna in an educational and scientific manner.”

Dolphins and Whales

We prohibit activities that feature interactions with or performances by dolphins, whales, and other cetaceans. Seaside sanctuaries that provide captive animals with a permanent seaside living environment are allowed if they are accredited and do not feature interactions or performances.

Physical Contact

We will abide by the Expedia Group animal and guest welfare principles where the primary focus of the activity is physical contact.

We will not allow intentional physical contact with wild and exotic animals, which include but are not limited to dolphins, whales, cetaceans, elephants, big cats, bears, reptiles, and primates.

We limit interactions to domesticated animals. These include, but are not limited to equine and bovine mammals, dogs, and cats.

In addition, we allow petting zoos, falconry demonstrations, parrot interactions, educational or therapeutic interactions with a variety of species under strict supervision that adhere to the Expedia Group animal welfare and guest welfare principles listed above.

Animal Rides

Animal rides with equine mammals and certain domesticated animals are permitted, provided due care and attention are given to the animals and guests in line with the animal and guest welfare principles above. Animals should not be overloaded or forcibly coerced, restrained, or beaten.

Animals for Commercial Products and Trade

Expedia Group will not support activities or attractions where animals are bred for commercial purposes or venues where products sourced from wild animals are sold. These include but are not limited to crocodile farms, civet coffee farms, turtle farms, tiger farms, snake farms, and bear-bile farms. Activities that promote utilization of an animal as a prop (e.g., for selfies) are prohibited.

Animal Performances

Expedia Group will not support experiences where wild animals are required to perform in a demeaning, unnatural way for entertainment purposes. This can be as part of a stage or circus show that is performed in front of an audience for live entertainment. Other prohibited animal performances include those involving dolphins, whales, and other cetaceans, as well as snake charming, roadside animal displays, and magic/cabaret shows that utilize exotic or wild animals as part of the act.

We prohibit establishments that drug animals or engage in negative behavior reinforcement (e.g., chains, whips, and hooks) to force animals to comply.

Animals in Sport

Animal racing is limited to horse and dogsled racing.

Activities where the intent is to maim or kill an animal, including trophy hunting, canned hunting, bear baiting, animal wrestling, spearfishing, as well as bull, dog, and cock fighting, are prohibited. Experiences that include the feeding or use of live animals for goading other animals are prohibited.

Venues Hosting Wild Animals

Sale of non-WAZA regionally and nationally recognized member and accredited venues that host activities utilizing wild animals for interaction, display, or entertainment will not be permitted. These include exotic pet cafes, restaurants, dolphin shows, traveling zoos, animal amusement parks and hotels.

Wild Animals in Natural or Semi-Natural Habitats

Observational experiences that are run in accordance with the Expedia animal and guest welfare principles above are permitted. These experiences will not feature direct intentional contact, and operators will ensure there is enough space and opportunity for the animal to express choice for how it wishes to interact. Operators are to ensure that the activities are run at a frequency, distance, and mode of participant transportation that does not interfere with the animal’s natural way of being or cause it distress.



EDUCATION

We are also committed to informing travelers about the places we go, the activities we engage in, and the ways in which we leave lasting impacts on our destinations. Our Wildlife Tourism Education Portal and blog will feature content from environmentalists, zoologists, animal experts, and university researchers.

Travelers play a role too. National Geographic recommends the following for animal lovers who want help in discerning the difference between ethical and problematic wildlife experiences:


Do your research

Look for facilities where animals always appear to be well-fed and have access to clean water. Read reviews, which often include animal welfare concerns cited by visitors.

Expedia Group is paying attention too. We’ve enacted a review-monitoring policy to scour reviews for animal-welfare concerns.


Scan the space

Observe whether animals have an appropriate environment, including shelter, ample space, a comfortable resting area, and a secluded place away from crowds. Beware of buzzwords including “gives back to conservation,” “sanctuary,” and “rescue.” Be cautious if a facility makes these promises yet offers extensive interaction to large volumes of people.


Look for red flags

Avoid facilities where animals are visibly injured or are forced to participate in activities that could injure them or cause them pain or where enclosures aren’t clean. Being chained, performing, and interacting with tourists—giving rides, posing with them, being washed by them—are not normal for a wild animals, even one born in captivity.

Rest assured; these types of activities are not offered on our sites.


Tread lightly

Be aware that large crowds and unnatural noises cause distress, especially for animals that have experienced fear-based training, separation from mothers at birth, or other traumas.


Keep it wild

Seek experiences that offer observation of animals engaging in natural behaviors in natural environments.




SUPPORTING DEFINITIONS

Domestic Animal

Wild Animal

  • A domestic animal is genetically determined to be tolerant of humans. An individual wild animal, or wild animal born in captivity, may be tamed—their behavior can be conditioned so they grow accustomed to living alongside humans—but they are not truly domesticated and remain genetically wild. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reference/domesticated-animals/

Farmyard Animal

  • “Any domestic species of cattle, sheep, swine, goats, llamas, or horses, which are normally and have historically, been kept and raised on farms in the U.S., and used or intended for use as food or fiber, or for improving animal nutrition, breeding, management, or production efficiency, or for improving the quality of food or fiber. This term also includes animals such as rabbits, mink, and chinchilla, when they are used solely for purposes of meat or fur, and animals such as horses and llamas when used solely as work and pack animals.” https://definitions.uslegal.com/f/farm-animal/ 9 CFR 1.1 [Title 9 -- Animals and Animal Products; Chapter I 

Working Animal



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