Appeal Urges Inclusion of Civet Coffee Attractions in New UK Animals Act
Wild Welfare is proud to join 194 animal welfare organisations all strongly urging the UK Government to include civet coffee tourism in The Low Welfare Activities Abroad Act 2023. This is following the release of the report ‘Industry Leaders: Tackling Civet Coffee Tourism” by The Civet Project Foundation, a charity dedicated to civet protection. The report, which investigates the secretive world of civet coffee tourism and its hidden impacts on animal welfare, conservation and human health, has highlighted the role of travel providers in civet exploitation.
What is civet coffee?
Civet coffee (also known as kopi luwak) is a “luxury” coffee that has been pre-digested and defecated by civets, small nocturnal carnivores from southeast Asia. Known as the most expensive coffee in the world, one cup of civet coffee can reach prices of up to £50. This high price point is set based on false marketing claims of product rarity. However, as this latest report shows, civets are wild-caught for mass civet coffee production and are housed in hidden industrial farms throughout Southeast Asia.
What does this have to do with tourists?
Civet coffee plantation tours are a popular tourist experience throughout Southeast Asia. Tourists are taken to curated plantations where they have the opportunity to see the production process of civet coffee. Tourists may also be able to touch and take photos with the civets themselves, which typically live in small barren cages within the plantation.
What’s so bad?
Civets suffer immensely in civet coffee facilities. To produce civet coffee, they are force-fed coffee cherries, typically leading to caffeine toxicity, malnutrition, and premature death. Civets are also kept in barren unsanitary cages with signs of disease, drugging and psychological distress. Diseased civets pose a threat to the tourists and workers who interact with them. Yet the disastrous effects of the industry don’t stop there, the main source of civets for these facilities is wild capture though indiscriminate snaring. These snares damage other wildlife, as well as depleting the wild populations of civets to an unknown extent. The Binturong has already suffered population loss at the hands of wild capture for civet coffee facilities and is now listed as vulnerable.
What did they investigate?
For their report, the Civet Project Foundation surveyed ten leading tourism operators, including TripAdvisor, TUI, Booking.com and Get Your Guide, and found that despite 9 out of 10 companies having an animal welfare policy, all were selling and advertising civet coffee attractions online. Their investigation uncovered 369 civet coffee attractions on Tripadvisor, which took place across seven countries in Asia. Of these, 79% featured captive civets, only 6.8% were labelled with an animal welfare warning, and a shocking 90.8% were available to book online, all of which violate Tripadsor’s animal welfare policy.
CREDIT: The Civet Project Foundation
The report follows The Civet Project Foundations award winning documentary ‘Civet Coffee: From Rare to Reckless” which premiered on Ecoflix in April this year and is now available on YouTube. In the film, researchers travelled to Vietnam in search of the true cost of civet coffee tourism on animal welfare, conservation and human health. Shocking undercover footage revealed a hidden link between wildlife trafficking, farming, and tourism, all of which included unhygienic conditions that could easily spread disease between wildlife and humans. With tourism as the principal driver behind the civet coffee industry, the team set about investigating the role of world leading travel companies, starting with TripAdvisor.
What’s the outcome?
The Civet Project’s progressive report has resulted in the removal of civet coffee booking options from the Tripadvisor website and the issuing of animal welfare warnings on civet coffee review listings. It is therefore no longer possible to book a civet coffee tour on the Tripadvisor platform. Several other travel providers are now also following suit. TUI, Klook, Airbnb and Booking.com have each all committed to tackling civet coffee tourism on their platforms.
An official appeal letter, coordinated by the Asia for Animals Coalition (the world’s largest coalition of animal advocacy organisations) and The Civet Project, urges the UK Government to include civet coffee tourism in the Low Welfare Activities Abroad Act 2023. This would prohibit selling and advertising civet coffee experiences in the UK. The letter, signed by 195 prganisations has been sent to the government for consideration. The Civet Project Foundation is also encouraging the public to write to their local MP, asking them to support the addition of civet coffee to the Low Welfare Activities Abroad Act (2023).
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Notes to Editors
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Our vision is a world where every captive wild animal is able to thrive and live a good life. Find out more at wildwelfare.org. Registered charity in England (no.1165941).
