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Erica Fong

One of the best things about travelling is getting to know the locals, including all the cute and cuddly creatures you meet along the way. But before planning the ultimate wildlife encounter, it’s important to know how to do so responsibly.
Many animal tourism experiences in Asia inadvertently contribute to animal cruelty, such as elephant rides, tiger selfies and touching marine life, which can destroy underwater ecosystems.
However, getting close to wildlife does not always have to come at the expense of animals. For those who want to make sure their animal encounters are safe for both parties, read on for seven of Asia’s best ethical animal experiences:
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Diving with dugongs in Coron, Philippines




















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!! I still can't believe I had the chance to meet Aban, a 50+ yr old dugong who lives in Busuanga in the north of Coron with his little yellow fish friend ️ . . It took us a while to locate him, but when we did, he let us swim with him for over 40 mins (and even showed us some of his most private parts too ) . . Did you know? Dugongs are also called 'sea cows' and were mistaken for mermaids back in the day. They're plump and peaceful mammals who love eating sea grass, and have pretty bad eyesight As a species they are listed as vulnerable but are still legally hunted in Australia (shame on you, Aussies!) . . Thanks so much to the @dugongdivecenter for taking us to see Aban and doing their part to #saveourdugongs Highly recommend diving with them in Coron! . . (See a longer video of Aban on my IGTV )
A post shared by Erica Fong (@wafflerica) on Jul 2, 2018 at 3:29pm PDT



With its plump body, short flippers and goofy grin, the dugong is an adorable but endangered species that can still be found in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Ocean.
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In North Busuanga, Palawan in the Philippines, the Dugong Dive Center offers a full day of “dugong watching”, which begins with a 20-minute briefing on dugongs and how to safely approach them, followed by a trip to several of their feeding grounds in the bay. With an 80 per cent success rate, the guides will tell you when it’s safe to jump in and swim along with the friendly and short-sighted sea creature.
Walking with elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand




















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A beautiful love of friendship. No need to describes the love and friendship between Jokia and Sri Prae, the pictures say it all. #ElephantNaturePark #ENP #TheHerd #elephants #ElephantSanctuary #ElephantRescued #ThaiElephants #AsianElephants #animals #animallovers #saveelephants #bekindtoelephants #ChiangMai #Thailand
A post shared by Elephant Nature Park (@elephantnaturepark) on Sep 16, 2019 at 9:35pm PDT



Elephants have a long history of being exploited for tourism, but at Elephant Nature Park, a rescue and rehabilitation centre 60km outside Chiang Mai, founder Lek Chailert has created the world’s premier elephant sanctuary for distressed elephants from all over Thailand.
Visitors and volunteers can meet the herd, feed the elephants or even go on jungle walks with them. As of April 2018, elephant bathing is no longer allowed to give the elephants as natural a life as possible. Instead, guests can watch them splash around at a safe distance from the new observation platform.
Meeting orangutans in Borneo, Malaysia




















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⁣⁣ Been eyeing a trip to Borneo? No need to keep monkeying around The October 20 departure of our Classic Borneo trip is currently 15% off! Hurry, limited spots are available. #BeIntrepid⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ (Taken on Classic Borneo | intrepidtravel.com/borneo)
A post shared by Intrepid Travel (@intrepidtravel) on Aug 31, 2018 at 12:09pm PDT



Thanks to deforestation and illegal logging, up to 3,000 orangutans lose their homes (and lives) each year, according to the Orangutan Conservancy. At the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in the Sabah district of Borneo, 60 to 80 rehabilitated orangutans currently live freely in the 43 square kilometres of protected land at the edge of Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve.
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To see the “gingers of the rainforest”, guests can visit the centre’s nursery to meet young, orphaned orangutans or catch a glimpse of rehabilitated orangutans during twice-daily feeding times from the viewing platform. While sightings are never guaranteed, not seeing one is a good sign the orangutans are adapting well to life in the reserve.
Swimming with whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines




















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Would you swim with the ocean’s gentle giants? . Donsol, Sorsogon, Philippines . Amazing photo by @banwatravel . Follow our pages: ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ @wimadventures @wimyummy @wimtechnology @wimpeople @wimlols @wimartsandmusic @wimstyle @wimbooks @wimflirts @wimpets @wimcarsautos @wimentrep @wimshowbiz @wimbigevents @wimfeels @wimsports @wimcampus @wimhealthy @wimgeek @wimlovefdn
A post shared by WhenInManila.com Philippines (@wheninmanila) on Jul 29, 2018 at 5:23pm PDT



Whale shark selfies are pretty much guaranteed in Oslob, Philippines, where they’re hand-fed by fishermen, but head north to Donsol instead for a more authentic and ethical experience. As an official partner of WWF Philippines, Donsol promotes sustainable whale shark tourism by ensuring that there is no touching, no flash photography and a maximum of six people per boat and whale shark.
Its conservation efforts are working – according to the WWF, more than 100 new whale sharks have been spotted in Donsol in the first half of 2019 alone, compared to just 22 new whale sharks sighted between 2017 and 2018.
Feeding sacred deer in Nara, Japan




















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• dois vídeozinhos porque não sou obrigada • arrasta pro lado que o outro é biscoito ️•
A post shared by T.A.N.I. (@tani.tai) on Nov 12, 2019 at 11:12pm PST



In the city of Nara, Japan, the deer aren’t just cute – they’re considered to be holy creatures thanks to the local legend of Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto (a Japanese mythological deity) riding into the city on one of the local Sika deer.
Now the official symbol of the city, more than 1,200 protected deer live in Nara Park where they are free to come and go as they please. To get on their good side, be sure to arm yourselves with plenty of deer crackers and bow often – they’re sacred animals, after all.
Volunteering with pandas in Chengdu, China




















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Just more pandas living the life I wanna live . . . . . . . . . . #pandas #pandabase #pandabear #bifengxia #ya'an #chengdu #sichuan #bears #wildanimals #worldpackingcanuck #animalphotography #naturephotograpy #natureisbeautiful #wildlifephotography #endangeredspecies #osopanda #photographylover #photographerlife #sleepybear #travellife #travelphotos #travelpics #instatrip #worldtravel #travelworld #globetrotter #worldexplorer #passport #backpackerlife #viajando
A post shared by Canadian Blogger & Expat (@worldpackingcanuck) on Oct 7, 2019 at 7:53am PDT



Hopelessly clueless about procreation, where would the giant panda be without the help of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) – China’s largest panda sanctuary which has grown its panda population from six to more than 70 pandas.
No close contact with pandas has been allowed since March 2014, but there is no shortage of demand for the centre’s week-long volunteer programmes where activities include chopping food (apples, carrots and panda bread), prepping bamboo and cleaning panda enclosures (read: scooping poop).
Cuddling with koalas in Brisbane, Australia




















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Koala cuteness all day
A post shared by Louise Leonard (@louise7946) on Nov 12, 2019 at 5:05am PST



No one likes being rudely awakened – least of all koalas who sleep for up to 22 hours per day – so it’s no wonder koala cuddling has been banned in most of Australia except for Queensland and South Australia.
At Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Queensland (the world's first and largest koala sanctuary), koala encounters are restricted to small groups of six where guests can learn about koala health, diet, reproduction and conservation, and even get to hold one (if it allows) for the ultimate photo opp.
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Many animal tourism experiences contribute to animal cruelty, but we found ethical animal experiences in China and Southeast Asia that are safe for the animals


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7 ethical animal experiences in China and Southeast Asia where you can feed pandas, walk with elephants and swim with dugongs

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Many animal tourism experiences contribute to animal cruelty, but we found ethical animal experiences in China and Southeast Asia that are safe for the animals

Many animal tourism experiences contribute to animal cruelty, but we found ethical animal experiences in China and Southeast Asia that are safe for the animals