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The Tiger Temple In Thailand
The Tiger Temple or Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Thailand and has been a sanctuary for many endangered animals including several tigers that walk around freely once a day and can be petted by tourists. The temple received several tiger cubs where the mothers had been killed by poachers. As of 2007, over 21 cubs have been born at the temple and the total number of tigers is about 12 adult tigers and 4 cubs.
The tigers are tamed by being fed with cooked meat to avoid giving them a taste for blood. The staff keep the tigers under control and the abbot will intervene if the tiger gets agitated. They are treated as family members in the temple and visitors are asked to give a donation if they want to take photos with the tigers.
Check out 12 more pics of visitors posing with the tigers at the Tiger Temple in Thailand after the jump.
Source: Green Expander
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Faisal Adlin said
April 18, 2008 @ 12:48 am
… err. i’d rather not. tq.
colleen said
May 8, 2008 @ 12:24 am
where did u find this place in thailand
i wanna go !!!!
those cats looks like big babies
Vini said
June 23, 2008 @ 6:19 pm
How do you get to this place I wanna go !! these look bigger than our loins in africa…………
Rebecca said
July 2, 2008 @ 8:46 am
HI. I am sorry to be the one to tell you this- maybe at this point you already know. The information that was given to you by the Tiger Temple staff, abbot & probably your travel agent is false. The TT not only actively trades tigers to make sure there are always cubs around, but the staff also regularly beats the animals and provides them with a diet and environment that is extremely lacking, resulting in behavior abnormalities and physical distress. Don’t feel you are the only one that was fooled by them – hundreds of tourists are there each day. Please see the Care for the Wild report that was published a few weeks ago. Thanks and please spread the word about these terrible lies.
http://www.careforthewild.org/news.asp?detail=true&I_ID=578§ion=Latest+News
Stephanie said
July 4, 2008 @ 2:53 pm
ok…but my take on all this is….normally an abused animal is very aggressive….where are the attack reports? An abused animal is NEVER that docile, although I don’t know fact and obviously have never been there, its hard to believe with the pictures.
anon said
July 4, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
Stephanie – you must be right! that’s much more convincing reasoning then the in depth CWI report.
Farrang said
July 4, 2008 @ 5:08 pm
Just like the elephant camps here in Thailand, these are nothing but tourist attractions. Money is the primary goal here, animal welfare.
tico said
July 4, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
Forget about more horrible mistreatment of animals,
I want to hear more about these giant loins of Africa
links for 2008-07-04 | hxf148 said
July 4, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
[...] The Tiger Temple In Thailand [...]
James Zentner said
July 5, 2008 @ 1:32 am
Wow I would love to see the tigers. I have collected pictures of tigers for years, and have a living room filled with tiger pictures. Thanks for the pictures on here.
Unethical? Thailand’s Tiger Temple « Designing Zoos said
July 5, 2008 @ 3:48 am
[...] Thoughts, Reviews | Tags: interaction, sanctuary, thailand, tiger | Thailand is touting a tiger temple where visitors can, once daily, walk amongst, pet, and be photographed with endangered animals, [...]
Ivan said
July 5, 2008 @ 5:26 am
All of those people deserve to be eaten.
ASIM REHMAN said
August 13, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
Whatever people say about treatment to these animals. But I think these guys are doing a wonderful job there.Just think how many big cats have been saved from the butchery of poachers, had they been still in their natural environment.Atleast they are growing in numbers.The temple guys have a right to earn in order to keep the ball rolling.Believe me it ain’t so easy to mantain such a number of wild cats.Hats off to people doing such a tremendous job.
Sheila said
August 19, 2008 @ 9:18 am
This is beautiful, just beautiful. Thank you so much.
Tsering said
August 19, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
Every species has a right to live its life in a natural way. We humans do not have any right to control or subjugate lives other than oneself. Those Buddhist monks should be praying every day to achieve enlightenment or nirvana for themselves and for all the sentient beings. Why are they sucking tourist money from controlling and exploiting some helpless sentient beings?
Care for the Wild International’s Report was in depth and well researched. Everyone especially every Buddhist should be very concerned about this cruel act by our Buddhist monks. You will find the report at http://www.careforthewildinternational.org
Exploitation of other sentient beings for personal gain is a huge sin. Lord Buddha sacrificed his body to feed a hungry tigress. He didn’t exploit the tigress to feed himself. Please learn from our teacher, the Almighty
Joolz said
September 27, 2008 @ 7:13 pm
It’s all very righteous to put down the monks for keeping the tigers in an environment that (I agree) is not natural. However you should consider that they would very likely all be dead if not for their efforts. And before you talk about exploitation you don’t see these monks parading about in gold chains and designer gear. providing for these cats (or even one) is not easy and far from cheap and they aren’t doing more than asking for donations. How exactly do you propose they feed them otherwise?
At the end of the day I’d rather see these animals alive than slain by poachers, even if it means for the meantime they are kept somewhere that isn’t natural for them.
andrea_wk said
October 23, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
I have been in an elephant sanctuary in Tailand and I saw many rescued elephants being display as a tourist attractions, its true that they keep them with a low diet so they keep docile and some of them looks sick and need medical health that is not always provided but I also know some of the keepers really take care of animals as part of their families. Its easy to judge from your sit, situation is more complicated.
Jane said
November 5, 2008 @ 10:56 pm
Many of the posted comments state that the tigers at the temple are better off here than in the wild, where they would be poached. Funnily enough, the initial tigers WERE poached by an illegal wildlife trader – to start off the temple’s population of ‘rescued’ tigers. The temple is also illegally (in)breeding and swapping tigers with other collectors, and often replace tigers which have died with ones they’ve shipped in, giving them the same name to cover this up. This temple is far from being a rescue centre – they are dealing on the blackmarket with a highly vulnerable and endangered species. Added to the cruelty and appalling living conditions at the temple (verified both by visiters AND workers at the temple), this is a firm case for not visiting this shoddy establishment. There’s an indepth report here: http://www.careforthewild.com
(see the bottom of the home page)
Satwik said
February 23, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
I wouldn’t be wrong to point out that most of u here will be non vegetarian…
then why do u need to act like u give a damn bout how these animals are treated…
if u really care about the animals, then please go veggie…
oh, wait…. do u only care about endangered or carnivorous animals????
fastfist99 said
March 23, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
I think the temple does a great job drawing in the tourists and making money. Tourists who only care about their own experience and not the experience or suffering of the tigers. The temple is a good example of human selfishness.
It’s time harder more stringent international laws are introduced. Such as no breeding of endangered species unless genetic, scientific and zoo assosiation guidelines are strictly followed and no photo opportunities with wild animals.
The temple should not be allowed to keep these tigers.
Nadine María said
April 7, 2009 @ 8:16 am
The CWI does not like the Tiger Temple? Too bad…! I think this is a good place, taking into account that there are no more enough forests available for the tigers to be wild. The report mentioned that the Care for the Wild International has identified a suitable facility in Thailand and is offering its full support for this operation. Fine but, to what extent that facility is safe and will not exploit the animals in different ways? Maybe the CWI should better help the monks with breeding and economic support as they allow the people to be close to these magnificent creatures. I would like to go there only to watch them out of cages.
rinknoi said
June 21, 2009 @ 6:59 am
http://www.tigertemple.org/Eng/index.php
if u wanna know more plz! follow this website.
via:
“Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery”(TIGER TEMPLE),
address : Saiyok District, Kanchanaburi Province, 71150; THAILAND
Tel: +66034-531-557, Fax: +66034-531-558
Contact: webmaster@tigertemple.org
Dezil Smith said
November 26, 2009 @ 8:15 am
it is so wrong what they do to these beautifull animals! they drug them and there is no meat in their diet, they are carnivores tigers in the wild do not sleep all day , I can bet money that there are no tigers there that are over 8 yrs old! In good Zoos they can live 15-20 yrs! In this stupid so called “temple” they are constantly breeding them! 90% of their tigers dont live past two years! they are a bunch of FAKES!!!
sarah said
November 27, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
do the ladies wear a head scarf in the tiger temple
sarah said
November 27, 2009 @ 2:45 pm
hello i am sarah and i want to know if the ladies can wear a head scarf in the tiger temple or not
Ritesh said
January 14, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
Guys, I don’t think these tigers are tortured and beaten. This is just a close behavious between 2 dinamics. I have seen this documantry in NGC and Discovery and just can’t be wrong. Whoever saying against this shold provice some concrete proof rather than just defaming.
Ritesh said
January 14, 2010 @ 9:42 pm
Guys, I don’t think these tigers are tortured and beaten. This is just a close behaviour between 2 species of living beings. I have seen this documentary in NGC and Discovery and just can’t be wrong. Whoever saying against this shold provide some concrete proof rather than just defaming.
Anon said
April 28, 2010 @ 6:00 pm
So… nobody’s gonna talk about African Loins being big? Kinda disappointed
mack said
May 7, 2011 @ 5:34 am
I couldn’t be more obvious that these animals are treated like shit. Tigers happen to be my favorite animal and as fun as this palace place looks. i would rather have the tiger roam free in there own environment. I read the other day that they will soon become extinct, which is not cool. Let the tigers be
mack said
May 7, 2011 @ 5:39 am
The proof is in pictures. Tigers and humans are not meant to be together in such a relaxed manner. These tigers are being drugged to the point where all they do is lie down. The tigers are in a state similar to sleep paralysis. this is rediculous it is so fucked up that people are ok with this. WOW