Madyson Taylor

Degree

MA (Master of Arts), Tourism

Thesis title

Elephant-based Volunteer Tourism: An exploration of participant experiences and reflections on captive elephant welfare in Thailand

Year of defence

2018

Abstract

Due to the diverse forms of interaction between humans and animals, particularly in tourism settings, it is no surprise that there has been growing scholarship evaluating its intersection (Cohen, 2009; Fennell, 2012 a,b,c, 2013, 2014, 2015). In recent decades, social science researchers have begun to take up these intersections via tourist experiences encountering wildlife (Markwell, 2015) with a critical subtheme of captive animals as visitor attractions. Informed by eco-feminist philosophy, a case study of elephant-based voluntourism in Thailand is the focus in this scholarship. The purpose of this qualitative research was to understand volunteer tourist perspectives of captive elephant tourism in Thailand. Objectives of this research were to interpret stories and meanings of elephant welfare held by volunteer tourists and assess the potential of volunteer tourism to aid in the improvement of captive elephant welfare.

Biography

Madyson environmental ethos and care for animal rights and welfare evolved during her undergraduate degree in Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo. Multiple contracts in the field of wildlife conservation, coupled with backpacking trips to Thailand, inspired her return to UWaterloo to complete her MA in Tourism. Her thesis focuses on the role that volunteer ecotourists play in fostering captive elephant welfare.