Are you a fan of wildlife and nature?
We sure are, so Galakiwi has recently become a See the Wild member, where our Galapagos tours will be featured on their Wildlife Tourism website.
But, what is more important is that we've committed to their KEEPitWILD Pledge.
The KEEPitWILD Pledge was an obvious endeavour for Galakiwi as the rules and guidelines set out to respect wildlife are very similar to those of the Galapagos National Park, where we operate.
What is involved in the KEEPitWILD Pledge?
Galakiwi agrees that our tours, staff and travelers will respect, raise awareness for and be compassionate about wildlife. As Galakiwi expands to operate more and more tours beyond the Galapagos Islands, the timing for this pledge pairs well with the way we aim to operate tours in the rest of Ecuador, Peru and beyond.
From the See the Wild website, key elements of the pledge are:
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- Never feed a wild animal unless as part of an official rehabilitation program.
- Keep a respectable distance and if the animal shows signs of fear or aggressiveness, back off immediately and give the animal plenty of space to move on.
- Avoid chasing or following wildlife that is attempting to escape.
- Keep watching times to a reasonable length to avoid stressing the animals.
- Move slowly, quietly, and in full view to avoid scaring or stressing animals.
- Avoid touching animals unless part of a carefully structured research or conservation program that has the required permits.
- Avoid captive wildlife facilities unless they actively support reintroduction to the wild or take in animals that would not be able to return to the wild (see below for more specific captive wildlife guidelines).
- Follow a leave no trace guideline to reduce human impact on wild places.
Whether we are snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos, or on the trail of tapirs in the Amazon, lets keep the wildlife wild!
Are you interested in taking the KEEPitWILD Pledge too? Visit See the Wild and Be a Hero!
