(TH) Thailand Tiger Temple exposed!

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UK wildlife group slams Tiger Temple

 

A British conservation group has called on state wildlife agencies to look

into alleged animal abuse and illegal tiger trafficking at a famous temple

in Kanchanaburi province. A report by the group Care for the Wild

International (CWI) claims the animals at the renowned ''Tiger Temple'' are

kept in confined spaces and poorly cared for.

 

The report also raised concerns over the safety of tourists, as they are

allowed close contact with the animals.

 

Since the worldwide broadcast of a documentary on the Animal Planet channel

around 900 foreign tourists visit the temple on busy days, said the CWI,

which made a two-year investigation into alleged wildlife abuse and

smuggling.

 

The group does not give the full name of the temple and simply calls it the

''Tiger Temple'', as it is popularly known.

 

CWI chief executive Barbara Maas said the temple's popularity was based on

claims its tigers were rescued from poachers and move freely and peacefully

among monks who are actively engaged in conservation activities.

 

''This utopian facade hides a sinister reality of unbridled violence and

illegal trafficking of tigers between Thailand and Laos,'' she said.

 

CWI claimed it has evidence that rather than rescuing orphaned tiger cubs

the temple operates as an illegal breeding facility and is involved in the

clandestine exchange of tigers with the owner of a tiger farm in Laos.

 

CWI Southeast Asia director Guna Subramaniam said the major attraction of

the temple is that tourists can interact closely with live tigers.

 

She said the group had met with the temple's abbot to discuss the problems

but he was reluctant to negotiate and showed no interest in reform.

 

The group called on the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation

Department to confiscate the tigers and transfer them to a sanctuary.

 

The acting deputy director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant

Conservation Department, Kamolwat Visetsiri, said the agency seized seven

tigers and almost 300 other animals seven years ago but could not find any

guilty party. He said he would inspect the temple after acknowledging the

CWI's complaint