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
Why your domicile status is important

Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.

Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born. 

UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.

A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.

Types of bank fraud

1) Phishing

Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

2) Smishing

The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

3) Vishing

The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

4) SIM swap

Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

5) Identity theft

Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

6) Prize scams

Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

THE BIO

Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist

Age: 78

Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”

Hobbies: his work  - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”

Other hobbies: football

Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club

 

RESULTS
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MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):

PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)

Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports

COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

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Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

Updated: March 29, 2023, 12:58 PM