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Animal Welfare

For more biodiversity and animal welfare

The DERTOUR Group Animal Welfare Guideline

It is often the fascinating wildlife that attracts travelers to faraway places. Safari in Africa, whales in the oceans or flamingo colonies on the Portuguese Atlantic coast: experiencing wild animals in their natural environment is a special experience for travelers.  

As part of the travel industry, the DERTOUR Group recognises its responsibility to protect the welfare of animals in their destinations from the effects of tourism. The company wants to ensure that they are preserved for future generations. Animal welfare is therefore a top priority – for animals in their natural habitat, but also where animals are more closely tied to humans. 

Travelers can discover the animal world in a responsible and safe way with DERTOUR products.

A binding animal welfare policy based on the DERTOUR Group Animal Welfare Policy Statement was drawn up back in 2017.

This is consistently implemented in a continuous process with all partners, animal welfare experts and industry bodies worldwide. 

The focus is on species that are particularly affected by tourism activities, such as elephants, whales and dolphins.

The aim is to check all travel offers for compliance with the guidelines and to have animal welfare standards monitored by independent organizations.

Junger Orang-Utan auf einem Baum sitzend

Travelers can discover the animal world in a responsible and safe way with DERTOUR products.

A binding animal welfare policy based on the DERTOUR Group Animal Welfare Policy Statement was drawn up back in 2017.

This is consistently implemented in a continuous process with all partners, animal welfare experts and industry bodies worldwide. 

The focus is on species that are particularly affected by tourism activities, such as elephants, whales and dolphins.

The aim is to check all travel offers for compliance with the guidelines and to have animal welfare standards monitored by independent organizations.

Junger Orang-Utan auf einem Baum sitzend

Travelers can discover the animal world in a responsible and safe way with DERTOUR products.

A binding animal welfare policy based on the DERTOUR Group Animal Welfare Policy Statement was drawn up back in 2017.

This is consistently implemented in a continuous process with all partners, animal welfare experts and industry bodies worldwide. 

The focus is on species that are particularly affected by tourism activities, such as elephants, whales and dolphins.

The aim is to check all travel offers for compliance with the guidelines and to have animal welfare standards monitored by independent organizations.

Specific requirements allow measuring animal welfare

The DERTOUR Group’s animal welfare requirements are based, among other things, on the criteria of the British travel association ABTA, on the basis of which the DERTOUR Group’s animal welfare guidelines were drawn up. In it, the DERTOUR Group commits to the internationally recognized “Five Freedoms for the Promotion of Animal Welfare” with regard to sufficient nutrition, species-appropriate living conditions, health maintenance, sufficient living space and species-appropriate behaviour. 

The Five Freedoms for assessing Animal Welfare according to John Webster  

Freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition

Freedom from discomfort

Freedom from pain, injury and disease

Freedom from fear and suffering

Freedom to live out normal behaviour

Our animal welfare requirements include, among others

The list of requirements in the Animal Welfare Directive contains a large number of animal species and situations, each of which is assessed individually. The focus is particularly on providers of attractions that are problematic in terms of animal welfare (such as facilities that keep animals in captivity). The DERTOUR Group ensures that all offers either already meet the minimum requirements for animal welfare or are consistently improved as part of the project cooperation. Providers are actively supported in this through training. 

Better safe than sorry: Verification through external audits

The DERTOUR Group has excursions and offers that may be associated with risks to animal welfare checked by independent animal welfare experts in audits based on the detailed criteria catalog of the animal welfare guideline.

The aim is not only to make existing offers more animal-friendly, but also to contribute to a sustainable change in tourism. In dialogue with providers, within the travel industry and with animal welfare organizations, the DERTOUR Group designs innovative solutions for more animal-friendly experiences and drives the continuous improvement of standards.

This is done, among other things, in close cooperation with projects supported by the non-profit DERTOUR Foundation.

Savanne mit Schirmbäumen in der Serengeti, Tansania

Better safe than sorry: Verification through external audits

The DERTOUR Group has excursions and offers that may be associated with risks to animal welfare checked by independent animal welfare experts in audits based on the detailed criteria catalog of the animal welfare guideline.

The aim is not only to make existing offers more animal-friendly, but also to contribute to a sustainable change in tourism. In dialogue with providers, within the travel industry and with animal welfare organizations, the DERTOUR Group designs innovative solutions for more animal-friendly experiences and drives the continuous improvement of standards.

This is done, among other things, in close cooperation with projects supported by the non-profit DERTOUR Foundation.