https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:3658 Virtual wildlife tourism: an ideal form of ecotourism? Burns, Georgette Leah Georgette Leah Burns 0000-0001-7281-8061 Griffith University Benz-Schwarzburg, Judith Judith Benz-Schwarzburg 0000-0003-1523-2181 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Taylor & Francis Ltd text eng Wildlife populations are plummeting worldwide and captivity, of at least some, species is increasingly being challenged from an ethical perspective. When captivity serves human entertainment, poor treatment as well as unequal power-relationships are problematic. Particularly for wildlife ecotourism then, we ask: is the future virtual Taking a posthumanist approach, this conceptual manuscript considers whether presenting technologically created images to tourists can equitably foreground non-human rights, welfare, and agency. We highlight examples of tourism involving wildlife in virtual settings to explore possible advantages and disadvantages of this type of experience for human and non-human stakeholders. This enables us to explore how the virtual experience fits with the concept of ecotourism. The argument is made that the ideals of wildlife ecotourism can best, and perhaps only, be met virtually - but only if we use images of non-human animals who are represented with dignity and respect. Animal Ethics; Conservation; Dingoes http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:3658/download 10.1080/14724049.2023.2175835 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:605 application/pdf Journal of Ecotourism 23(3), 260-276 (2023) Journal of Ecotourism 23 3 260 276 4.97 MB 2023