Gap Year Interview

Are you thinking about a Gap Year- from school, from work, from life??

Well, this just in: LinkedIn now has a section so you can register your Gap Year. If you took a gap in your education or professional life and want to explain it- you can. If you don’t want to- that is okay, too. If you want to show off that you travelled, took part in volunteering, learned in the experiential classroom that is life or something else- you can do that!

Thinking now about gap years and perhaps the ethics behind them? Don’t panic! We do that for you! Here is us in conversation with Jazz from the Canadian Gap Year Association talking about all things ethics, consent and gappy! Canadian Gap Year Association x Animal Experience International.

Let us know what you think and if you want to talk more about your Gap Year!

Consent Based Tourism

Consent somehow is the gold standard, not the baseline of interactions in every day life and while the world is (thankfully) changing, we want to make sure that travel is changing, too. We are working hard to make Consent Based Tourism not aspirational but the standard of all travel interactions.

With Consent Based Tourism, all parties in each interaction are giving a 'full body yes'. They want the interaction to happen, or they don't and they are free to leave and feel safe doing so.

The three main parties are the local community members, the animals in the area and the traveller.

In order for a community and it's members to consent they have to not just accept the traveller, they have to welcome and invite the traveller. In a time of a pandemic there are some communities who legally are allowing visitors but their members may feel unsafe, uncomfortable or like they have been coerced into having international visitors. Consent Based Tourism makes sure it's not about the entitlement of the traveller but the safety and comfort of the hosts.

The second individual that we must consider are the animals. Animals must consent to any interactions so there can't be chains, tethers or leashes on wild animals. This means no intimidation or violence as a tool of behavior control or modification. If an animal is in an enclosure (perhaps at a sanctuary) the animal can interact with the traveller if it wants but it can leave the interaction and has space to hide and be comfortable. Animals have the right to privacy and comfort and Consent Based Tourism makes sure they get it.

The last individual to think about in Consent Based Tourism is the traveller. Does the traveller want to be part of the interaction or can they leave without feeling like there is coercion? If they want to travel somewhere and are feeling a 'full body yes' they will enjoy it more, be more willing to take part in immersive experiences and even consider things like volunteering and public service along with their engagement.

Consent Based Tourism may be a new idea but we hope we hope it grows and becomes an ‘obvious’ idea. Something that goes without saying because without consent how can tourism be a force for good?

Come Travel With Us!

11-18 June 2022. 

Wildlife husbandry in the Central American jungle. Our last Expedition before 2020 was Expedition Guatemala. We didn’t know it at the time but it would be one of the last times we personally would travel internationally. Even though we had no idea we really did live each day like it would be our last trip: watching the sunrise over the pyramids of Tikal National Park, cleaning the enclosures of beautifully singing ducks, assisting with the intakes of tamanduas, putting out folded green enrichment for baby howler monkeys, sipping cool drinks on beach side cafes in Flores. We loved this expedition so much we wanted to share it with you- everyone who wants to help animals but maybe wants some reassurance that travel can still be safe, comfortable and as always ethical. This isn’t just us helping animals again, this is us celebrating the end of this very difficult time. Come celebrate with us while doing real authentically beneficial volunteering to conserve these endangered wild animals.

Reasons to travel with AEI for your first trip after the pandemic.

-Amazing pre-planned adventures helping community based conservation groups!
-Authentic animal volunteer activities.
- Travel insurance that extends beyond your return date (just in case there is a flight change or unexpected anythings).
- Guaranteed safe and sanitized housing.
- Guaranteed meals. Why is this important? Around the world cafes, restaurants, shops and stores have had to close temporarily, or even permanently, due to a lack of travelers. This can make travel stressful for those trying to make a plan before they are in country! We set up all your accommodation and meals before you have even left to make sure you are safely and happily taken care of.
- Ongoing supportive care from travel experts who have travelled during the pandemic and can walk you through all the steps. Want to zoom before you go? Would you rather email? We are here to talk as much or as little as you would like - we aren't comfortable until you are!
-VIP Arrival Plans to make your trip safe and comfortable. PCR tests, hotels and shuttles booked by us so you just have to plan your in country selfies and post cards!

Travel is once again within your reach – you will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and then we will help you with the rest! You can be traveling safely to Costa Rica (sea turtles!), Spain (horses!), Guatemala (wildlife!) or Thailand (elephants!) right now with more countries opening up in 2022 – many of them with us leading the trip (Mongolia, Malawi, Australia...)! We look forward to helping you plan your Animal Experiences as travel becomes a reality again.

Looking for something completely different? We partnered with the luxury travel group Girls Guide to Paris to offer a *luxury* Croatian adventure featuring truffle hunting, island hotels and of course dolphin conservation. See what everyone is buzzing about: Girls Guide to Paris: Croatia Edition.

Anyone Can Help Animals

We have a lot of people asking if only vets can volunteer. And we always say: *NO*, in fact most of our volunteers are not veterinary medical professionals and we like it that way. Why? Because there are so many ways to help animals! And by encouraging people from all walks of life to volunteer, we ensure that local professionals stay employed by good and trustworthy conservation programs. We aren't taking jobs from members of the community and this means the professionals that helped animals before we were there will continue to help them once we leave. 

What kinds of volunteering could you possibly do with animals that isn't high level medical volunteering? Actually some of the most important volunteering opportunities are the things that take the pressure off vets, freeing up their time so that they can provide the more specialized care. Making enrichment for animals who are in temporary enclosures before they are released into the wild, socializing dogs who have been rescued from the street, making breakfasts for elephants in sanctuaries. All of these are things you can do right now - and if you do them you are helping these animals AND the team members who have been there throughout, and even before, this pandemic! 

If you want to help animals the best way to help are the easy but time intensive tasks: cutting up mangoes for orphaned howler monkeys, sweeping out elephant paddocks, scrubbing (empty) bear pools, handing out dishes of kibbles to hungry dogs - YOU can do this and you should! Giving back while you go on vacation isn't just a nice thing to do for the animals, it can be life changing for you. Volunteering changes how you feel about yourself, the world and your place in it. 

Travelers have a massive role to play in stopping the trafficking and exploitation of animals. We have been thinking a lot recently about imposter syndrome and how it can show up in conservation. Travelers, recreational adventurers, and volunteers can be just as big proponents for conservation as biologists. Travelers spend their whole lives learning (when they travel with their eyes open) and through this experiential education they can be witnesses to the very best and very worst of humanity. If you don’t have formal training in conservation, you may discount yourself and pass at the opportunity to be an advocate. But you don’t have to be an animal professional to recognize that animals in cages and on tethers aren’t happy. Oftentimes it’s the traveler who is limiting their own voice, not speaking up because of feeling like an “imposter”. People don’t think they know enough, or feel that it’s not for them to say anything – but violence is violence and we don’t need a degree to recognize it and speak up against it. In fact we need all the stakeholders to come together so that we can conserve our natural world!

We encourage every traveler this year to think about the voice they have and how they use it. You do not need to have a formal education to change the world, you just need to speak out about injustices you see and throw your support behind organizations that are doing positive things. There are no imposters – everyone has their lived experiences and we should speak up for what we believe in. Do you need to be a vet to help animals? No. Do you need to be a professor of animal behavior to help animals? No. Both of these professions WILL help animals but so will you if you are willing to volunteer, observe and share what you learn with the world. 

I want to apply right now!!

Travel is once again within your reach – you will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, then we will help you with the rest! You can safely travel to Costa Rica or Guatemala starting this month, and to more countries in 2022 (Mongolia, Malawi, Costa Rica, Thailand...) – many of them with us leading the trip! We look forward to helping you plan your animal experiences as travel starts to open up again.

World Wildlife Day

Ontario’s African Lion Safari was just named the worst Zoo in North America. And we are furious. Not because they don’t deserve honour- they truly are the scourge of Cambridge Ontario. We are furious because this exploitative and oppressive ‘zoo’ still exists.

In Defense of Animals put out this media release: 10 Worse Zoos for Elephants and at the very top is a person standing on the neck of an elephant who is being forced to perform at African Wild Safari. We encourage everyone to read their media release because it’s really important to understand how disgusting and terrible these places are for animals. In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with a 30-year history of fighting for animals, people and the environment through education, campaigns and hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi. There is nothing that we can add to this conversation that they have not said in the media release, so please do read it and send a donation for their hard work.

But since you are already here… In the meantime let us address just the picture we see.

This animal is a WILD animal. It's not a domestic animal that is happy and gets joy or enrichment from doing tricks and bonding with it's human friend.

It's a WILD animal who's brain, from the moment they are born, sees humans as predators, threats that cause them stress.

Domesticating an animal takes many many many generational changes in the genetics of that animal. See: dogs from wild dogs.

When we rip WILD animals from their homes. When we force them 'behave' and perform for us through violence. When we breed them for even more exploitation. When we support the people who do all of this, or some of this, we support oppression. *We are oppressors.*

What does this animal teach us about biology, about conservation, about empathy, about elephants? How can anyone say this is an educational show, an educational park? It's oppression, it's exploitation, it's violence and it does not serve anyone to have it still open.

It's World Wildlife Day and we are embarrassed that this is happening in Ontario.

#wildlifenotentertainers #worldwildlifeday

Consent Based Travel

Over the next month we will be explaining more about the importance of what we are calling consent based travel. But here are the basics for those who want to know right now!

In order for a relationship to be healthy it must be a consenting relationship and we think that travel is all about healthy relationships. Relationships with the host communities, relationships with the animals and relationships with ourselves. SO, the easiest way to understand if we are participating in ethical and healthy travel is to see to see if everyone is consenting.

Some communities have vulnerable populations and are asking for travellers coming in 2021 to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. In order to have a consenting relationship with these hosts, we will need to be fully vaccinated. Easy, we just have to be patient!

What about animals? Importantly, coercion is not consent. If an animal must be tied up, chained or contained in a cage (or tank) to interact with you, it’s not a healthy and consenting interaction.

How can you know you are a consenting traveller? Well, do you actually want to travel right now? Are you being true to yourself and doing what you want not just doing what the gram wants? After a year of self care, be real with yourself, what do you want? If you aren’t comfortable travelling right away, that is totally okay! It’s a strange and anxious time, this is why we are planning more group trips for down the road. We want to make sure people are actually comfortable and enjoying their travels.

We will be expanding on these topics soon but if you have any questions or want to learn more don’t be afraid to message us. We are here to make sure you, the animals and the communities around the world stay safe, content and respected.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe out there.

Nora

Travel 2021 and 2022 on your own terms!

By now, you probably know A LOT about the vaccine roll outs. Yippie! We can travel again... as a slight reality check, while these vaccines are very promising and have given us (finally) some hope in this dumpster of a year, having a safe and effective vaccine around the corner does not mean mass vaccinations for everyone around the corner. What we need to remember is we will be living in the Covid era for a while longer. The world will not be able to get vaccinated over night, or even over a month or two. BUT the world will be able to open up to travel because of other technologies being trailed and refined now: testing!

Covid-19 testing is opening up countries around the world as we speak! British Airways is piloting a program that they personally rapidly test all passengers at the start and finish of all journeys and more countries are opening boarders to those who can show off their negative test. 

No one on Earth has thought more about ethical and safe travel than travel advisors like us. Trust us, we have spent hundreds of hours in meetings, webinars and planning sessions with partners, industry leaders and travel/medical/mental health/epidemiology experts. We aren't just committed to making sure you can travel safely and security- we want to travel, too!  How can we make sure everyone is safe? Testing and social distancing at our already spacious and rural locations. 

What else can we do? We are going to travel WITH you in 2021 and 2022. We are going to still have our normal solo adventures available but we are going to plan more expeditions! We aren't here to hold your hand, we are here to have your back. Make sure you are safe, covid secure and comfortable. We don't have dates yet but all the small group trips are going to be to our partners. You can go to our website and already see where you can travel with us! 

Our small and rural wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centres are perfect for those wanting to avoid crowds (all of us in 2021), they are located away from large cities. You stay privately in sanitized and clean accomodation and when you volunteer you volunteer socially distanced with other people who (like you) have tested negative for Covid-19. 

These trips aren't for everyone, in fact our spaces are VERY limited so we can ensure private accomodation and distanced volunteer activities. But if you want to travel this year, we have been prepping for 11 months to make sure you can do it safely and as always ethically and authentically. 

We will be announcing locations and dates over the next few months so keep an eye out! 

TL;DR

We are going to be leading small group trips in 2021 and 2022 because we want to do the work while you have an amazing animal adventure. Covid secure, safe, comfortable and of course ethical trips guided by Nora and Heather!

I want to travel in 2021!

I want to wait a bit longer but would like more info...

Wildlife Veterinary Care

Wildlife rehabilitation offers sick, injured, orphaned and rescued wildlife a second chance. This work would not be possible without dedicated wildlife carers, biologists, park rangers, veterinary professionals and volunteers. Animal Experience International supports wildlife centres around the world, in Guatemala, Malawi, Thailand and Australia. I personally have had the honour to work as a wildlife veterinarian for more than 20 years. Not a day goes by that I'm not surprised or amazed by my wild patients. Working with wildlife presents many challenges that are not faced by vets treating domestic animals like dogs, cats and horses.

We don’t know their history.

Our wild patients often come to us with no background information. The animal may have been found lying on a road, been confiscated from a smuggler, or seen not using a leg. But unlike domestic animals, there is no person to share the animal’s history, a tool vets rely on to deduce what is wrong. Wildlife vets must be detectives, a task made even more difficult by the stoic nature of wildlife. In the wild a weak animal is more likely to become another animal’s dinner – wildlife has an amazing ability to hide their illness or injuries, even from veterinarians.

Survival is essential.

Add to that, our wild patients have to be well enough to survive in the wild once released. We cannot ask a patient to return for regular follow-up exams, or to leave with pain medication that they can take indefinitely. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to return healthy animals back to the wild. Wild animals must be able to swim, climb, fly, hunt, evade prey, reproduce, interact appropriately, and flourish in the wild. This holds us vets to an exceedingly high standard!

Our care is very stressful.

Wildlife find captivity to be extremely stressful – to a wild animal, humans are seen as predators. This means we must work very hard to keep our patients as comfortable as possible and to minimize stress. Unlike with domestic animals, wildlife is not soothed by touch or reassuring talk. Quite the opposite! Minimizing stress means being quiet around wildlife, staying away from enclosures, and keeping the number of times we examine, treat, weigh, or otherwise disturb our patients to a minimum. Wildlife centres work hard to design enclosures that keep animals safe and comfortable, and to provide enrichment to keep animals occupied while in care. Animals that are less stressed heal and recover more quickly, tend not to further injury themselves and can be released back to the wild sooner.

I love the challenges that come with working with wildlife – the constant problem solving, and creativity required to treat my patients successfully. But for all of us involved in wildlife rehabilitation and rescue, the most satisfying part is when our work in done, and the animal is given a second chance to live its life, free in the wild.
 

~ Dr. Heather Reid is a Wildlife Veterinarian and the Co-founder of AEI ~

Virtual Volunteering WIN!

During the summer we teamed up with Fanimal to help get more people remotely volunteering on international programs (https://fanimal.online/how-to-virtually-help-all-animals-remotely/).

What kind of volunteering: some looked through camera trap photos to identity animals, others took over social media for a month and others helped with translation and editing. Often times centres need their plaques and guidebooks to be in English. Many centres we work with have non native English speaking scientists who can translate documents from their native language to English but need native English speakers to look over everything and do some edits.

A brilliant and wonderful volunteer helped edit these signs to make sure they were 100% correct and 100% AP style guide approved. Now these conservation plaques will be up for years and years and help THOUSANDS of visitors to Mongolia understand the natural history of the area.

How cool is that? If you want to help with translation or anything else that can take place remotely, let us know! We can’t wait to help more animals with your help.