Wildlife Tourism Legislation

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about the treatment of wild animals in tourist attractions abroad.

In 2023, Parliament passed the Animals (Low‑Welfare Activities Abroad) Act, which allows the Government to ban UK companies from advertising or selling activities overseas where animals are kept in poor conditions or subjected to harmful training practices. However, the Act cannot yet be enforced because the required regulations specifying which activities are prohibited have not been introduced. As a result, the legislation has not yet begun protecting animals as intended.

Research indicates that low‑welfare wildlife tourism remains widespread. A study cited by DEFRA found that up to 550,000 wild animals worldwide are involved in tourist entertainment, including elephant rides, big‑cat encounters, and captive dolphin shows.

I will continue to follow the implementation of the Act and the Government’s next steps. Thank you again to everyone who raised this issue with me.