Why You Should Avoid Animal Souvenirs

To keep travel memories alive and to look back on, some travellers like to purchase souvenirs when travelling, whereas others like to have experiences when they travel for their memories. If you’re the souvenir type of traveller in lieu of the experience type, it’s wise to review and question your purchase, and understand why you should avoid animal souvenirs purchases. 

Travellers often like to purchase unique items that are specific to a destination and not common amongst other travellers, which makes sense as it links the item to that point in time or a particular trip. When looking for those unique items, travellers can sometimes be propositioned from locals into purchasing animal products for their uniqueness.

You may ask yourself, what does it matter if I buy an animal souvenir? To you it won’t matter, however to the animal itself, the species or the greater environment, it does matter. Remember animals are just like us humans, in that animals move in pursuit of food, they mate (for partners and communities) and they find shelter for protection, whether it be a single ant on the ground or an eagle in the sky, they all have a similar pursuit in life like us. Would you be willing to buy a souvenir made from a human body? We would hope not. The same goes for animals, they should not be inferior species to humans.

Unfortunately products that contain animal body parts were likely achieved by death of the animal, hurting the animal or may have caused destruction to animal habitats. Either way, the reason should’ve justify producing an animal product for sale to others. Choosing to purchase animal products could also be contributing to endangered animals, or could be causing harm and suffering to animal species, of which we don’t see, yet it’s “behind the scenes”. 

Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a million species of animals are in danger of going extinct, if we do not change our behaviours in how we interact with the natural environment and wildlife. How we live our lives greatly impacts our animals lives, and is no different when we travel.

Avoiding animal souvenirs isn’t always easy though to determine first up though. Sure if a product contains feather, skin, bones and the like, it will be easier to see that have derived from an animal. But other times you may need to look a bit harder, or ask more questions from the shop or seller of the origins of the product.

 To ensure animal species are not traumatised or worse engaged due to becoming a souvenir, aim to avoid animal souvenirs when travelling. Instead try opting for local experiences for memories such as attending cooking classes, go on city walking tours, watch the sunrise at the top of a mountain, learn local traditional dance, go swimming in local swimming holes, go on nature walks, etc.