Religious ill-treatment of Thai tigers

This video from Thailand says about itself:

June 15, 2008

Tiger Temple- Illegal Trade, Animal Cruelty & Visitor Safety Risks

Following the worldwide broadcast of the two-part documentaries by Animal Planet, the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, has become a popular tourist destination that attracts hundreds of tourists daily.

The Tiger Temple’s success is based around claims that its tigers were rescued from poachers, and live and move freely and peacefully amongst the temple’s monks, who are actively engaged in conservation and rescue work.

Prompted by concerns raised by tourists and Tiger Temple volunteer workers, Care for the Wild International’s (CWI) investigation uncovered disturbing evidence of serious conservation and animal welfare concerns, including

– illegal tiger trafficking
– systematic physical abuse of the tigers held at the temple, and
– high risk interactions between tigers and tourists.

For more information visit www.careforthewild.org

From Wildlife Extra:

Tiger temple under investigation as Thai authorities clamp down on captive tigers

A tiger confiscated from a private apartment in outskirts of Bangkok as part of a series of raids and spot checks conducted by Thailand’s Wildlife Enforcement Network

Tiger Temple under investigation

September 2012. Thai authorities have swooped in on captive tiger owners in two locations to see if laws had been broken, resulting in one arrest in one case and a confrontation that could lead to further action or lawsuits in another. Both actions demonstrate the serious challenges facing Thai authorities in dealing with the country’s large captive tiger population.

Four tigers confiscated

In Pathumthani, two adult tigers and two tiger cubs were confiscated in a raid on a private apartment. Thai Nature Crime Police conducted the raid after intelligence showed that the owners were involved in the illegal wildlife trade. The tigers were sent to a government care center.

Tiger Temple

The temple is already mired in controversy after the Sun newspaper published a video showing the abuse that goes on at the temple, and how the tigers are baited and treated for the ‘benefit’ of tourists.

The temple, a popular tourist destination, has seen its tiger population grown from 7 to 100 in the past eight years, raising questions about the sustainability of the temple’s tiger management, and where the tigers are being sourced.

May 2013. Thailand’s famous Tiger Temple, a popular tourist destination, is misleading tourists into believing that it is a tiger sanctuary when it is actually nothing more than a money-making petting zoo where the animals must suffer mistreatment on a daily basis, says a new report: here.

Asian big cats in danger – Not just tigers: here.

Big cats vanishing from Satkosia Tiger Reserve – Written by Siba Mohanty – Courtesy of Wildlife Protection Society of India: here.

A social media campaign asking for the release of the temple elephant Saama from the Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka has been growing in strength and numbers over the last few weeks. A petition asking the Sri Lankan  Department of Wildlife Conservation to intervene has now more than 8,000 signatures, and been shared on Facebook more than 7,000 times and has been tweeted almost 4,000 times; and it is still growing: here.

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• Thailand’s Tiger Temple – April 2013 (greatcatsoftheworld.wordpress.com)