August 2008 - Update
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Things can change a lot in 2½ years and, from what we hear, things at Tiger Temple have not changed for the better since our visit in March 2006.
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Where is all the money going?
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When we visited Tiger Temple, the tigers were caged a lot of the time. However, this was meant to be a temporary state of affairs due to the building of "Tiger Island", a secure piece of ground surrounded by a moat where the tigers could wander free.
On the Tiger Island page on this site, we provided a rough calculation of how much
money the temple
would raise in one year. click here So if over $850,00 can be raised in one year, without allowing for an increase in visitor numbers, why are the tigers still caged nearly 2½ years later? We also hear that visitors are now not only charged the 300 Baht entrance fee, but also 1,000 Baht for the photograph.
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Performing Tigers
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Sadly, we suspect that because visitor numbers have increased enormously, this has led to the tigers being made to perform and pose for the photographs. When we were at the temple, if the tigers did not want to have photos taken, the abbot would call a halt to photograph taking for a while until the tigers had settled down. He had to do this becuse most of the tigers in the canyon were not chained, as can be seen in some of our photographs. Unfortunately,
we hear that this too has changed.
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Mis-treatment of Tigers
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When we were at the temple, it was clear that the staff were untrained in the handling of the tigers. However, the poor handling did not really amount to mis-treatment. The idea was that when tigers were moved to Tiger Island, far less handling was going to be required. It would now appear that the mis-handling has become mis-treatment.
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Breeding Tigers
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We are also sad to hear that despite the fact that the tigers are still caged, the temple is still breeding cubs. Without a plan for the future, this is irresponsible and certainly not in the best interest of the tigers.
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The Way Forward
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Care for the Wild International has investigated the temple and has produced the following report. Care for the Wild.
CWI recommends that Thailand’s Department of National Parks confiscates the Temple’s illegally held tigers and transfers them to a sanctuary facility, where the animals can be accommodated and cared for appropriately. CWI has identified a suitable facility in Thailand and is offering its full support for this operation. If Tiger Temple is not going to fulfil the original promise of providing the tigers with a place to roam free, then the tigers need to be moved as soon as possible. CWI
has said they will provide support for the operation - who will make it happen?
We will put up other links as we find them. Currently most links are derived from the CWI report.
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| Other Links |
| You Tube - Various Videos and Reports |
| Volunteer Report September 2007 - a completely different experience to ours 1½ years on. |
