Squamish Company Wins First-Ever PETA Animal-Friendly African Safari Award

For Immediate Release:
January 6, 2023

Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382

New Year’s is the peak time to book for the 2023 African safari season, and PETA has named locally based travel company World Vegan Travel one of the recipients of its inaugural Animal-Friendly African Safaris Award for offering wildlife viewing on protected reserves or in national parks and, among other considerations, maintaining a respectful distance from wild animals and guiding small groups at specific times of the day in order to minimize stress to the animals. All the winning companies offer exclusively vegan menus, cruelty-free toiletries and linens, and zero exposure to trophy hunting, amenities today’s socially conscious and conscientious traveler is often searching for.

“World Vegan Travel is a winner because it offers cruelty-free adventures that respect animals enough to let them live in peace and makes sure guests’ food and toiletry choices are animal-friendly,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA urges travelers to do their research and choose safaris that respect animals and never allow harmful, hands-on encounters.”

Offering a wide variety of destinations, World Vegan Travel has tours and activities that are catered by vegans, for vegans. Its tours include viewing wildlife during guided walks through a forested primate sanctuary, an afternoon river cruise to observe birds and monkeys, a tour of the largest aviary in the Southern Hemisphere, and lessons in rhino conservation. Guests are also invited to learn how to prepare traditional African plant-based cooking, courtesy of a local vegan chef.

A survey shows that a quarter of safari guests are now either vegetarian or vegan, and safaris that allow the observation of animals in their natural habitat—instead of forced interactions—are on the rise. Meanwhile, trophy hunters, who spend $50,000 or more to travel to Africa to kill native wildlife, are being left in the dust, as more people prefer to “shoot” animals with cameras, not guns.

The other winners of PETA’s Animal-Friendly African Safaris Award are Alluring Africa, Kings Camp, Vegan Safari Africa, and Air Safaris 269. Each company will receive a framed certificate from PETA.

Dry winter months (generally June through September) are ideal for going on African safaris. It’s recommended that people book these trips about six months to a year in advance.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.