BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Most Chinese respondents in a recent survey say "no" to any activities that might have a negative impact on animals during their tours, Tuesday's China Daily reported.
The survey found that more than 90 percent of Chinese travelers who had participated in an overseas wildlife tour said they would take into account whether their activities negatively affected the animals before making future tour decisions.
"Wildlife-friendly travel plays a crucial role in the healthy growth of wildlife tourism. The research shows the responsibility that Chinese travelers would like to take, which is very encouraging," Zhao Zhonghua, chief representative of the World Animal Protection China office, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
The research was based on 2,206 questionnaires and jointly conducted by marketing company CVSC-TNS Research and World Animal Protection -- an international nonprofit animal welfare organization.
Hundreds of thousands of wild animals across the world are taken away from natural habitats, forced into captivity and subjected to abuse, both mentally and physically, in the name of entertainment and profit.
In 2015, World Animal Protection developed an initiative, calling for animal-friendly tours and for tour operators worldwide to keep wild animals in the wild where they belong. It gained support from many travel agencies.
By the end of last year, more than 200 companies have removed the wildlife-related entertainment services, such as elephant rides, according to the newspaper.
Although some travelers are still not fully aware of the concept of animal-friendly travel, the research reveals that 90 percent of them think the concept should be widely promoted.
