Travel Ideology believes in and values sustainable wildlife tourism. That is an approach that prioritizes the welfare of animals and the protection of ecosystems. It is a concept that ensures that the animal population can be visited without change to its behaviour for many decades to come. With this in mind, we run small private tours rather than minibuses full of tourists. The advantage of this is that our customers get closer to the wildlife, and the animals feel less threatened. Where tours are larger, it can sometimes mean a wall of 15 or 20 people speeding towards animals, and the frightened animals racing for safety. In this case, nobody wins. Effective sustainable wildlife tourism can only take place with very small groups.
Sustainable Wildlife Organisations
We are a National Parks and Wildlife EcoPasss operator and a member of Wildlife Tourism Australia. These organisations share our values about sustainable Australian wildlife tourism.
Fun and Enjoyable
We also believe that our wildlife tours should be fun and educational, with opportunities to get close, take photos and experience the wildlife at a distance that does not cause them distress. The experience should be enjoyable for our guests. We aim to make each of our wildlife tours an unforgettable experience for our guests. We are proud to have customers who refer friends and relatives to our tours years later.
Educational
We aim to educate our guests about the wild animals and their unique behaviours rather than just provide photo opportunities. By practising our values, we get closer, and because the animals feel unthreatened, we often get to observe behaviours that are not seen in zoos or sanctuaries.
We do not condone touching or feeding of animals in any circumstance, as this can create dependence on humans and end with humans being bitten, scratched, kicked, and in some cases hospitalised. Many cases involve people being hospitalised are far removed from the people who originally fed the animals. In Australia, it is not only dangerous, it can be a criminal offence to touch, feed or otherwise interfere with wildlife. In recent years, Australian state governments have issued large fines to a number of tourists. One fed BBQ chickens to crocodiles in the wild and the other who picked up a baby wombat and ran with it away from its mother, another was feeding dingoes.
Case Study 1
Morriset Psychiatric Hospital Kangaroos
Morriset Psychiatric Hospital was a place many tourists visited to see kangaroos roaming freely. Unfortunately, people came and fed the kangaroos and petted them. This led to them losing their fear of humans. The animals developed an expectation that humans would bring food. However, sometimes people came and did not bring food or withheld it. The animals started biting, scratching and kicking the humans as a result. As a consequence, many people were taken by ambulance to hospital emergency. Eventually, the hospital built a wall around the grounds and placed a large gate, preventing the tourists from entering the grounds.
Case Study 2
Fraser Island (K’gari) Dingoes
Fraser Island is a haven for people visiting with their 4WDs. It is popular for its population of dingoes. Unfortunately, visitors treat these wild native dogs like domestic dogs, allowing them close and even feeding them. The dingoes hunt in packs. In January 2026, dingoes surrounded and killed a Canadian tourist. In 2001, a 9 year old was killed near Waddy Point. In both cases, this is the result of dingoes losing their fear of humans through feeding and interaction.
There is also a famous Australian criminal case brought relating to death by dingo. The prosecution alleged that the mother killed and disposed of her baby. She maintained her innocence and alleged that a dingo dragged it from a tent. After years serving a sentence, the courts released her and reversed the verdict.
Sadly, these are not solitary examples. The world is full of similar examples where because people have upset the balance with dire consequences. In Australia, the single greatest predicter of animal attacks is direct or indirect feeding. That is, where people either feed them directly or in the case of crocodiles, clean fish or throw food scraps in the water near their habitat. These animals lose their natural fear of humans, associate humans with food and then become aggressive when humans do not feed them.
Our Sydney Wildlife Tours
We offer a number of wildlife tours consistent with our above mentioned values. These are namely:
Sydney parrots and other native birds tour
Should you wish to reserve your tour, please click on Book Now.
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