The Animal Turn

Animals are increasingly at the forefront of research questions – Not as shadows to human stories, or as beings we want to understand biologically, or for purely our benefit – but as beings who have histories, stories, and geographies of their own. Each season is set around themes with each episode unpacking a particular animal turn concept and its significance therein. Join Claudia Hirtenfelder as she delves into some of the most important ideas emerging out of this recent turn in scholarship, thinking, and being.

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The Animal Turn

Bonus: Animals and Tourism with Carol Kline and Jes Hooper

February 23, 2023 • Claudia Hirtenfelder

In this bonus episode Claudia talks to Carol Kline and Jes Hooper about why it is important to think about animals in relation to tourism. They touch on some of the ways animals are included in tourism and how to guard against unwittingly contributing to animal suffering. A key feature of this episode is giving an overview of the Emerging Voices for Animals in Tourism Conference.

Date Recorded: 27 January 2023.

Carol Kline is a Professor and the Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Appalachian State University. Her teaching and research interests have historically focused broadly on tourism sustainability, including topics such as foodie segmentation, craft beverages, agritourism, tourism entrepreneurship, and tourism in developing economies. However, she now gears her research solely on animals and she teaches a course called Animals, Tourism, & Sustainability. She is part of the Race, Ethnicity, and Social Equity in Tourism (RESET) initiative, which includes animals within the study of social equity. She is founder of Fanimal Inc., a non-profit that helps individuals find animal-focused careers. Connect with Carol on Twitter (@tourismkline).

Jes Hooper is an Anthrozoology PhD candidate at the University of Exeter and a member of Exeter’s Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE) working group. Her doctoral research focuses on human-civet interactions via the concept of "disappearance" in the Anthropocene. Jes is founder of the Civet Project, a research initiative dedicated to the intrinsic interests of Viverridae (civet) species, and has published several academic works on civet coffee production and authentication, civet coffee tourism, and the rising phenomenon of Civet Lover pet keeping clubs. Jes is also a member of the IUCN SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group, and works as the Campaigns and Research Manager for Badger Trust, a single-species initiative protecting European badgers in En

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00:00 - Introduction

Significance of animals and tourism
Important for anyone who engages with animals in tourism and does research in these areas.
Conference 8-10 March, open for anyone to register. Flexible time frames so anyone can attend.
Emerging Voices for Animals in Tourism – check out the conference.
Carol Kline is a Professor and the Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Appalachian State University. Her teaching and research interests have historically focused broadly on tourism sustainability, including topics such as foodie segmentation, craft beverages, agritourism, tourism entrepreneurship, and tourism in developing economies. However, she now gears her research solely on animals and she teaches a course called Animals, Tourism, & Sustainability. She is part of the Race, Ethnicity, and Social Equity in Tourism (RESET) initiative, which includes animals within the study of social equity. She is founder of Fanimal Inc., a non-profit that helps individuals find animal-focused careers.
Jes Hooper is an Anthrozoology PhD candidate at the University of Exeter and a member of Exeter’s Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE) working group. Her doctoral research focuses on human-civet interactions via the concept of "disappearance" in the Anthropocene. Jes is founder of the Civet Project, a research initiative dedicated to the intrinsic interests of Viverridae (civet) species, and has published several academic works on civet coffee production and authentication, civet coffee tourism, and the rising phenomenon of Civet Lover pet keeping clubs. Jes is also a member of the IUCN SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group, and works as the Campaigns and Research Manager for Badger Trust, a single-species initiative protecting European badgers in England and Wales. Connect with Jes on Twitter (@jes_hooper).

05:09 – Welcome

Going to talk about the conference and tourism
Why is it important that we talk about animals and tourism?
Tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world
Civet coffee and commodity fetishism in Indonesia

10:19 – Tourism, Photos, and Shared Experiences

“Tourism is to a great extent about status,” Carol
Exoticism is also fetishized
“Do it for the gram,” Jess
Often think they are supporting local traditional practices or taking photos fabricated ideas of places
There is a perfomativeness to tourism – “bizarre how much taking the photo is the actual activity,” Claudia
Photos are damaging because it normalises what are some harmful practices
Tourism is trading money for an experience and they are not inherently bad.
The image is the documentation of our experience
Need to also think about the animal’s experience which has been overlooked.

15:07 – Animals, Consent and Tourism

We are prone to be doing duped and we get a moral kick from helping animals – but animals’ experiences can be overlooked
“Consent based tourism,” Animal Experience International’s Nora Livingstone has pioneered this form of tourism – consent of communities, animals, and tourists
Sanctuaries are prone to being “green washed” and/or “welfare washed”
Not consenting sends a message to operators
Findings on Trip Advisor – the civet was sometimes an absent referent (less than 20% mentioned concern for the animals’ welfare)
Animals are included because tourists ask for them
Episode with Gladys Kalema- Zikusoka – “community led conservation” and coffee. Coffee is capitalizing off the gorillas but not connecting it with seeing the animals in person.

22:37 – The Politics of Demand

There are people studying animals in food, captivity, transport and many of these activities are in tourism
The tourists or the industry increase the demand.
The industry amplifies small cultural experiences to profit off of tourism
Increases demand for animal-based experiences, and when production goes up, the importance of animal welfare is compromised
Difficult for consumers to see but it can be difficult to emphasize with tourists “who are suckered into believing,” Jess
“Many industries that rely on animals’ build on obfuscation,” Claudia
Not all tourism is hedonistic.
There are lots of reason to travel that are not leisure based

29:30 – Culture, Hospitality, and Offence

There are ethical issues that we need to think about
“There are certain animal welfare issues that transcend culture,” Carol
The desire want to be respectful can muddy ethical issues when it comes to animals
What created the tourism industry in Bali was international fame around civet coffee – a result of pop culture
Narratives about unique experiences and novel products thrown into fame

34:02 – Do your homework

Take a moment to be mindful and reviews don’t give the whole picture
Think about consent
Do your homework
Make the time to do your homework
People engaging in animal welfare will take the time to explain what is going on
Don’t expect to be close
Asking whose getting what from this interaction
Be mindful what is happening when you share images
Humans clearly have a desire to be near animals
Also question of consumerism
Read World Animal Protection, Born Free, PETA

39:36 – Emerging Voices for Animals in Tourism

Jess and Carol met on Facebook, The Ethics and Animals Facebook Group
A real thirst for transdisciplinary conversations
Emerging voices = early career academics, people just entering this field of research, folks outside of academia
Creating a platform for different people to meet; being as inclusive as possible.
Conference helped to build community
Established academics are also at the conference, and most of the chairs are established
Aron Gekoski – photographer

46:00 – Upcoming Conference

Three different tiers of pricing
Emerging Scholar - $15 but if you have any economic need, just email
Established Scholar - $50
Group price - $125 (can bring whole office or class)
Registration includes videos for the entire three days
Were overwhelmed with high quality research – going to be run over three days and three time zones
Americas, Day 1
Europe and Africa, Day 2
Asia Pacific, Day 3
A virtual conference per day, 6 hours per day, with an after party. Starts at 12, ends 5/6ish
Each after party has a special guest hosting things
Different animal groups represented: insects, fishing.
Bringing in vegan ethics, philosophy, art, poetry
Team are Jess and Carol as well as two interns from Fananimal

52:40 – Conference Soundbite

“Emerging Voices for Animals in Tourism is back for 2023. The conference is grounded in progressive and innovative praxis where ongoing collaborations are formed through the sharing of emergent voices in academia, advocacy, and industry. It’s hosted by Fanimal and the Civet Project. It’s a virtual conference which will bring together a diverse group of voices to collaborate on ideas around animal ethics, sustainability, and welfare. And all of this will contribute to the growing research on animals in tourism.”

55:00 – Fananimal

A non-profit started five years ago
Course “Animals, Tourism, and Sustainability,” one of the only courses focusing on animals and tourism in North America
Fananimal is more practitioner based and focused on raising up folks coming up next
Vegan education and animal rehabilitation
Mentorship to young adults
Animal chat time, a zoom based program for kids

58:41 – Expensive Human Coffee

Collaborative research project with Harrie Liveart, performative artists
Created human coffee using the same process as Civet coffee is made
Research done on the product, no tangible difference between human and civet coffee
Point was to be absurd to highlight the absurdity of the product
Had a seminar and an online blind auction
One cup of human coffee sold for roughly 500 euros