After returning from Egypt and reflecting on my emotionally and ethically conflicted experience riding a camel at the Giza Pyramids, I feel compelled to share this information with you from PETA, the animal rights organization.
PETA says eight major travel companies have agreed not to promote or sell tickets for exploitative animal rides at the pyramids of Giza—including a luxury tour operator, the most-awarded jet expedition company in the world, and the largest seller of luxury cruises and tours in the travel agency industry. PETA is now upping the pressure on Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to outlaw all camel rides and horse-drawn carriages at the Giza site.
The policy changes at Scott Dunn, TCS World Travel, Wilderness Travel, Travel Leaders Group, Tauck, Abercrombie & Kent USA, Grand Circle Corporation, and Artisans of Leisure follow a recent video exposé from PETA Asia showing that camels used for rides at the pyramids of Giza and other top Egyptian tourist attractions are beaten bloody, prodded, yanked, tugged by the nose, forced to walk on their knees, and tied up. The animals’ legs are tied tightly together to prevent them from moving or escaping, and some camels are tied to the backs of vehicles and dragged through the dirt. When their bodies are too worn out to use for rides, they’re sold to be killed for meat. In light of the findings, PETA Asia has urged the governor of Giza to investigate the traders who were caught abusing camels.
“Top travel companies across the country are dropping camel ride promotions like hot potatoes,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is celebrating these in-the-know companies for cutting ties with cruelty to camels, and we’re calling on Egyptian authorities to take note and ban these shameful rides that harm animals and disturb tourists.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information about PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
I will say my experience with the camel handlers at the Giza Pyramids was unpleasant. I witnessed the terrible treatment of the camels and repeated attempts by certain camel handlers to scam the tourists. In fact, my travel companion, a woman, was bullied into paying $80 to get her photo taken on the camel. Thankfully, our tour operator, Cairo Transport & Touring, reported the camel handler and got her money refunded.
As a world traveler and journalist, I aim to record and report my experiences with honesty and integrity. I share with you my personal journeys, firsthand knowledge, and transformative growth and evolution. A camel ride is a personal choice on your travels, just make an informed choice that aligns with your own values.
