Jenna: Welcome, animal lovers, to this week’s edition of Creature Feature!
Hannah: This week, we have some amazing companies making huge strides towards supporting animal welfare. First, TripAdvisor is no longer allowing ticket sales to establishments with whales and dolphins in captivity on their site.
Jenna: TripAdvisor is not the only travel platform that is embracing the welfare of animals within the tourism industry. World Animal Protection has teamed up with Airbnb to establish policies that ensure animal-friendly travel experiences. Airbnb now has over 1,000 animal experiences to offer that follow their protocols.
Hannah: Significant steps like these from well-known hospitality and tourism companies can guide consumers in a more conscientious direction regarding the well-being of animals.
Jenna: Exactly! Adding on to this forward-looking news, a large device designed to pick up the plastic floating among the ocean is up and running.
Hannah: This prototype has a net-like skirt that picks up floating plastic as it moves with the current, while underwater animals are able to swim beneath it.
Jenna: This prototype is going to have to prove itself dependable for a number of years in order to be considered financially attainable. Nonetheless, it is a big step towards a cleaner habitat for its inhabitants.
Hannah: While it is comforting to see technology being constructed to clean up the mess that harms our environment and animals, it is even more important to recognize why the cleanup is needed in the first place.
Jenna: Great point, Hannah! By taking an active role in proper recycling, community cleanups and education, just to name a few, our shared environment will benefit.
Hannah: Let’s make it a challenge this week to consciously use less single-use plastics, such as disposable water bottles and sandwich bags.
Jenna: Challenge accepted! Time to break out the reusable tupperware and straws.
Hannah: We’ll check in with each other’s progress next week.
Jenna: Until then, don’t forget to read up on additional animal news provided by the links below!
Check out this week’s animal news:
Fish Can Feel Pain Like Mammals, Scientist Says from Newsweek
Fascinating ways animals prepare for fall from National Geographic
Pet owners who fail to walk their dogs daily face $2,700 fine in this Australian territory from CNN
TripAdvisor axes tickets to whale and dolphin parks from PhocusWire
Big brands sourcing illegal palm oil from habitat of orangutans, rhinos, elephants and tigers: study from Eco-Business
Nature-based climate action no longer ‘the forgotten solution’ from Mongabay
How much is a whale worth? from National Geographic
After Years of Gaining Trust of Local Squirrels, Photographer Has Captured the Most Wholesome Pictures from Good News Network
Airbnb acts to ensure travel is animal-friendly from World Animal Protection
Pine martens returned to Forest of Dean after facing extinction from BBC News
A floating device created to clean up plastic from the ocean is finally doing its job, organizers say from CNN Business
Leapfrog to speciation boosted by mother’s influence from Nature
Why are there no animal species with three legs? from Science Daily
Around one-fifth of all animal species are involved in legal or illegal trade from ZME Science
India pushes for alternatives to animals in biomedical research from Nature
Thank you to John Delconte, Nancy McGehee, Kristin Lamoureux, and Amy Kwiatkowski for sharing news with us.
Photo credit to Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash
Creature Feature 