TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals

Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate

1 Warmer
When planning a holiday, where do you find information about nearby tourist attractions?

2 Key words
Match the key words with the definitions below. Then, find them in the article to read them in context. The
paragraph numbers will help you.

applaud captive cruel stroke welfare

1. when a wild animal is kept in a place such as a wildlife park or zoo instead of living in its natural home
_________________________ (para 2)

2. gently move your hand over an animal’s fur or skin _________________________ (para 2)

3. good care and living conditions for animals _________________________ (para 2)

4. when you praise a decision, action, idea etc _________________________ (para 2)

5. causing pain or fear _________________________ (para 2)

interaction notorious portal practice traumatized

6. very upset, afraid or shocked because of something bad that has happened _________________________
(para 3)

7. a way of doing something or behaving _________________________ (para 4)

8. an internet site that has links to other websites _________________________ (para 8)

9. the activity of being with and talking to other people or to animals _________________________ (para 8)

10. famous for something bad _________________________ (para 9)

D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016

M W P
O DO O
FR BE C
N T
O

NEWS LESSONS / TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate

CA O
H
•P
TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals
Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
TripAdvisor bans ticket sales to 8 In addition to a ban on these ticket sales,
attractions that allow contact with TripAdvisor is introducing an education portal
with information on animal welfare practices
wild animals and advice and opinion from animal charities. In
Kevin Rushby future, all listings that involve any interaction with
12 October, 2016 wildlife will have a button that clicks through to
the portal.
1 It’s something that every tourist wants to
experience: swimming with a dolphin. You reach 9 The possible effects of TripAdvisor’s policy may
out and touch. So does everyone else. be big. Elephant riding in northern Thailand, for
example, brings a lot of money into a poor area.
2 Now, internet giant TripAdvisor has said it will no
And the elephant camps of Chiang Mai might
longer sell tickets to attractions where travellers
suffer but other attractions, such as SeaWorld,
come into physical contact with captive, wild or
notorious for its 29 orcas, will be unaffected.
endangered animals. The attractions include
swimming with dolphins, stroking tigers and 10 Danny Groves of the Whale and Dolphin
elephant rides. It’s a policy that many animal Conservation Society says, “This is a positive
welfare charities have welcomed. Stephanie step but it does not deal with the problem of
Shaw from PETA says: “We applaud TripAdvisor promoting trips to see whales and dolphins that
for helping to raise awareness. Elephant training, are held captive.”
for example, is brutal and cruel.”
11 Steve McIvor of World Animal Protection, which
3 Around the world, wild animals are at risk has worked with TripAdvisor, added, “We hope
from companies who offer new experiences to TripAdvisor will soon also realize that it has to
tourists. Often, there are no controls. Tigers are stop selling tickets to all cruel wildlife attractions,
sometimes drugged to allow tourists to get close. such as SeaWorld. Until then, we will give the
Elephants are often thoroughly traumatized by best education we can on TripAdvisor’s website
violent training. to stop people wanting to visit cruel places
like these.”
4 Richard Rees from the Maldives Whale Shark
Research Programme says that, on some whale © Guardian News and Media 2016
shark trips, “people are allowed to do what they First published in The Guardian, 12/10/16
want. We see touching, riding, flash photography
– all sorts of bad practices.”
5 TripAdvisor is now the world’s largest travel
website. It lists 690,000 attractions and contains
385 million reviews. People have been able to
buy tickets to the attractions listed on the site
since 2014.
6 TripAdvisor believes hundreds of businesses
could be affected by its decision. It will not say
exactly how many or name the companies
that will be affected. And, although it will not
sell tickets to attractions that allow physical
interaction with animals, it will continue to list
them on the site.
7 Other travel companies have already stopped
selling elephant rides. UK-based student travel
firm STA Travel and adventure travel company
Intrepid have both stopped selling tickets for
elephant rides and STA does not sell tickets
to SeaWorld.
D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016

M W P
O DO O
FR BE C
N T
O

NEWS LESSONS / TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate

CA O
H
•P
 TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals
Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
3 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F)? Correct any that are false.
1. TripAdvisor is planning to stop selling tickets to all tourist attractions that have wild animals.
2. In some of these places, animals are treated cruelly and they may even be drugged so that tourists can get
close to them.
3. Some tourists behave badly, touching the animals, trying to ride them and taking photos with a flash.
4. TripAdvisor plans a new education portal with information on animal welfare practices as well as advice and
opinions from animal charities.
5. TripAdvisor will also stop listing all attractions that allow tourists to touch wild animals.
6. It has been criticized for continuing to sell tickets to other wildlife attractions where no physical contact with the
animals is allowed but cruel practices still continue.

4 Collocations
a. Match the words to make collocations from the article.

1. animal a. awareness
2. positive b. contact
3. physical c. portal
4. education d. step
5. raise e. welfare

b. Now, use the collocations to complete these sentences.

1. TripAdvisor hopes to __________________ __________________ about the bad conditions some captive
animals live in.
2. It is going to stop selling tickets to attractions that allow tourists __________________ __________________
with animals.
3. __________________ __________________ charities have applauded TripAdvisor’s decision.
4. Some people see this as a __________________ __________________ but they say it does not go
far enough.
5. TripAdvisor aims to provide more information about cruel practices on its new __________________
__________________.

5 Discussion
• Do you think TripAdvisor has made the right decision? Why? Why not?
• What else can be done to stop tourists visiting attractions that are cruel to wild animals?
D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016

M W P
O DO O
FR BE C
N T
O

NEWS LESSONS / TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate

CA O
H
•P
TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals
Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
KEY

2 Key words

1. captive
2. stroke
3. welfare
4. applaud
5. cruel
6. traumatized
7. practice
8. portal
9. interaction
10. notorious

3 Comprehension check

1. F – TripAdvisor is planning to stop selling tickets to

tourist attractions that allow people to touch
wild animals.
2. T
3. T
4. T
5. F – TripAdvisor will still list attractions that allow
tourists to touch wild animals.
6. T

4 Collocations

a.
1. e
2. d
3. b
4. c
5. a
b.
1. raise awareness
2. physical contact
3. animal welfare
4. positive step
5. education portal
D •
TE DE E
SI A L
EB LO B
W N IA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016

M W P
O DO O
FR BE C
N T
O

NEWS LESSONS / TripAdvisor’s move to protect wild animals / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate

CA O
H
•P