Tigers were the most popular choice with people around the world. Blake Meyer / Unsplash
Tigers were the most popular choice with people around the world. Blake Meyer / Unsplash
Tigers were the most popular choice with people around the world. Blake Meyer / Unsplash
Tigers were the most popular choice with people around the world. Blake Meyer / Unsplash

The 10 animals the world wants to see most


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Tigers, hippos and dolphins are some of the animals people around the world want to see most.

Adventure travel company Explore Worldwide analysed Google search data from more than 180 countries on 170 species, to reveal which animals people in different countries are most keen to see.

The company revealed its findings in the form of a world map.

Photo: Explore Worldwide
Photo: Explore Worldwide

In the UAE, the top choice was seals, which also ranked as the top choice of five other countries.

Tigers topped the list, being the favourite in 44 countries, followed by hippos in 28 countries and dolphins being the most popular in 17.

Outside of the top 10, Japan, Singapore and Kyrgyzstan were the only three countries that most wanted to see cats, while South Korea joined Finland as the two countries that most wanted to see bears. Kazakhstan was the only country that most wanted to see giraffes.

The 10 animals the world wants to see

  1. Tiger, 44 countries
  2. Hippo, 28 countries
  3. Dolphins, 17 countries
  4. Whale, 16 countries
  5. Gorilla, eight countries
  6. Seal, six countries
  7. Penguin, six countries
  8. Elk, five countries
  9. Elephant, four countries
  10. Lion, four countries

"We hope our research inspires travellers to see that a wildlife adventure isn't just restricted to seeing elephants and tigers," says Explore Worldwide managing director Michael Edwards.

"Regardless of which animal is on your wish list, if you want to embark on an animal-spotting tour, always opt to visit species in their natural habitat. We encourage you to visit sites that focus on the conservation and protection of these creatures so many more generations to come can spot the wonderful species out there."

The survey also shared the most popular wildlife destinations according to social media, based on tagged and viewed content on Instagram and TikTok.

Canada, with its selection of wildlife habitats and coastal, mountain, lake and forest landscapes, topped the list, followed by Australia, home to the Great Barrier Reef, the UK, with its variety of birdlife, South Africa, known for its famous safaris and Brazil, home to peacocks, macaws and toucans.

The 10 most popular wildlife destinations according to social media

  1. Canada, 203,392,682 hashtags and views
  2. Australia, 157,460,6073
  3. UK, 68,490,3374
  4. South Africa, 14,746,8665
  5. Brazil, 9,939,9696
  6. Scotland, 9,876,8007
  7. Costa Rica, 7,269,4728
  8. Nepal, 4,702,4819
  9. Ethiopia, 4,242,65810
  10. England, 3,514,787
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50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14

2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11

3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5

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Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am

Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm

Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm

MO
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Updated: March 29, 2023, 12:58 PM