If you love travelling, you’ve probably used Airbnb.
For those that don’t know (please come back to Earth after your visa in Mars expires), Airbnb is a home-sharing service that allows regular people like you and me to provide homestay accommodation for tourists.
This works for both the host and the guest, as the host can make some extra cash and the guest can save on expensive hotel fees.
And unlike hotels, you can sleep on stranger’s bedsheets knowing with certainty that there are bodily fluids on it.
The California-based company started offering “local experiences” as well, such as local music, arts, and outdoor events, and even pub crawls with local guides.
And with Airbnb’s latest initiative, you can now go paddle-boarding with Corgis.
Airbnb Launches ‘Animal Experiences’
On Thursday (10 Oct), Airbnb launched “Animal Experiences”, a stand-alone Experiences category alongside others like “Food and Drink” and “Sports and Outdoors”.
The new animal experiences involve paddle-boarding with corgis, kayaking with conservationists, buzzing about with urban beekeepers, watching arctic foxes, and rescuing puppies.
Yes, you can paddle-board with corgis, like this video shows:
This way, the dog can have some fun too, and not feel like a personal toy for our entertainment.
You can even have a cup of tea with naughty sheep:
Now, these naughty sheep aren’t going to commit any misdemeanors or anything, but they might just take a nibble of your food.
Unlike many other organisations, however, Airbnb promises to be ethical in its new tourist offering.
Mr Mikel Freemon, head of animals at Airbnb Experiences, said “We realised people want to reconnect with animals. We wanted to fulfill that urge in a responsible way.”
Freemon’s sentiment hints at the way in which many companies abuse animals for tourists’ entertainment.
For example, TripAdvisor recently announced it would stop selling tickets to events or attractions that breed or buy dolphins, whales and other marine mammals, reported TODAYonline.
That’s why Airbnb set out strict guidelines for hosts of these animal experiences. These include:
- No direct contact with wild animals such as petting, feeding or riding them
- Domesticated and farmed animals such as horses and camels may carry no more than one rider and no more than 20 per cent of their body weight.
- Elephant interactions are banned, including bathing, riding, and feeding.
- Experiences involving captive marine mammals are banned as well
- No using animals as props for selfies
So, if you’re thinking of booking an Airbnb with the hopes of getting a selfie with a tiger for Instagram, you’ll have better luck elsewhere.
This ethical approach by Airbnb allows humans to interact with animals but in a “setting that respects their well-being,” said World Animal Protection executive director Alesia Soltanpanah.
They even created an animal welfare policy with input from the NGO to ensure that the creatures are safe when interacting with humans.
And for those who would like to contribute to animal welfare and safety, you can choose adventures that send proceeds to causes such as conservation, animal rescue, and veterinary care.
Let’s treat animals with respect and give them the love they deserve.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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