Defending Those Who Can’t Defend Themselves

As frequent travelers with a passion for visiting new places and seeing new things around the world, we have an important job to sustain these places — their environment, people and animals.

Animal sightseeing and tourism is a large draw for many travelers. From safaris and zoos to live interactions and exhibits, it’s understandable for animal lovers to want to experience different, exciting species — but there are ways to do this without endangering the animals. Despite progress made in several industries, there’s still a lot to do to ensure animals around the world are no longer exploited.

Animal Defenders International, a world-renowned group committed to animal protection around the globe, is making strides in these efforts. The ADI team not only investigates and exposes animal cruelty for what it is, but also secures legislation to stop harmful practices.

Mexico, Peru and several other Latin American countries restricted the use of animals in traveling circuses in recent years. Performing animals are even more rare in Europe, prohibited in several nations. In the United States, though, this type of federal law does not exist. However, local bans and the recent closing of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s indicate a move in the right direction toward banning animal use for entertainment purposes.

The mission of ADI President Jan Creamer began in the mid-1970s when she saw a leaflet about beagles forced to smoke cigarettes in experiments. The leaflet called for volunteers — Creamer stepped up and never looked back.

Since formally launching ADI in 1990, Creamer filmed and exposed illegal trafficking and animal suffering in circuses, laboratories and slaughterhouses. She addressed congresses and governing bodies around the world.

The organization helped prohibit the use of chimpanzees and wild monkeys in experiments in Europe; secured bans on animal circuses in 20 countries; ended cosmetics testing on animals; provided evidence for the prosecution of Hollywood animal trainer, Mary Chipperfield, the owners of Bobby Roberts Circus and employees of Have Trunk Will Travel; and developed and promoted human computer simulations in university laboratories, saving hundreds of thousands of animals around the world from experimentation.

In March, Creamer and her team assisted the government of Peru with enforcement of its national ban on wild animal circuses and illegal wildlife. In the largest initiative of its kind, ADI chartered a cargo aircraft and flew 33 ex-circus lions home to Africa. The lions are now being taken care of at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa.

The movie Lion Ark captures the behind-the-scenes story of the animal rescue in Peru, the struggle and the lions’ joyful flight to freedom, and the story was also recently featured on 60 Minutes.

In more recent news, ADI proposed a bill in Congress — Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act — that would end the use of wild and exotic animals in traveling shows in the United States.

Visit the ADI website to learn more about the organization and the incredible work it’s doing.