# @stephmylife on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DcdgTCJNiq6
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69599884-stephmylife-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/59357b5f92.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-25T11:32:38.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Stephanie Barry Woods (@stephmylife) — https://gondola.cc/stephmylife

## Caption

This was a tough moment to watch.. 

I’d just come from Uganda, where I saw how tightly controlled tourism around wildlife can directly support conservation. Tanzania made me think about what happens when those controls aren’t as strong.

There’s a difference between observing a wild animal and interfering with it because we want a better experience.

We saw vehicles crowd animals. People whistling and calling to make them lift their heads for photos. At times, getting the shot seemed more important than letting the animal in peace. (We didn’t experience this everywhere, mostly in Tarangire)

I want to talk about this with some self-awareness because I’m a travel creator, I brought a group of people on safari, and I took hundreds of photos and videos myself. But tourists, myself included, have to acknowledge our part here.

I don’t think the answer is to stop wildlife tourism. Done properly, it can give enormous economic value to keeping animals alive, wild and protected. But we need to change what we expect as tourists.

We want the lion beside the jeep. The perfect photo. We reward the guide who gets us closest. And when guides rely heavily on tips, we can unintentionally create a financial incentive to deliver that experience.

Responsibility therefore goes beyond individual guides. Safari companies need to pay properly, train staff and enforce welfare standards. Parks need rules that actually protect animals: limits on vehicles, distance and behaviour & consequences when they’re ignored.

I specifically asked our guides to prioritise animal welfare over our experience, and there were still moments I wasn’t comfortable with. That’s because our experience isn’t just shaped by our drivers but by the behaviour of other jeeps & guides too. 

Sometimes wildlife is far away. Sometimes you wait for hours. Sometimes you don’t get the photo. That’s what seeing wild animals means.

We are lucky to see anything when we go on a trip like this, and we are entitled to nothing. We can’t control every jeep around us, but we can control the kind of tourism we engage in & choose to support.

#travel #safari #tanzania #tarangirenationalpark

## Stats

- **Views:** 126,424
- **Likes:** 3,918
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 212

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stephanie Barry Woods | @stephmylife | https://gondola.cc/stephmylife | Influencer |

## Tags

safari, tarangirenationalpark, tanzania, travel

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