Persepsi Masyarakat Terhadap Penerapan Animal Welfare dalam Kegiatan Wisata di Taman Nasional Way Kambas

Abstract

This study aims to analyze public perceptions of the implementation of animal welfare in tourism activities in Way Kambas National Park (TNWK), particularly at the Elephant Training Center and the buffer zone village. The study was conducted in September-October 2025 using a quantitative approach through the distribution of a closed-ended questionnaire based on a Likert scale to 65 respondents selected purposively. The research instruments included indicators of tourism activities, social impacts, and economic impacts that referred to animal welfare principles. The data were analyzed descriptively to identify categories of public perception. The results showed that public perception of animal welfare implementation ranged from neutral to positive, with an average variable score of 61-65%. The community assessed that educational tourism activities at the Elephant Training Center reflected animal-friendly practices and provided socioeconomic benefits to the surrounding community, although understanding of animal welfare still needed to be improved. These findings indicate that the implementation of animal welfare has reached the initial stage of social acceptance, which has the potential to be strengthened through enhanced education, inclusive management, and continuous community involvement to support the sustainability of conservation tourism in TNWK.