it's nice to look at it from the fairytale perspective. this place has been investigated by animal welfare organisations and it has been revealed the tiger temple is guilty of:
- illegal possession of wildlife under thai law
- breeding of an endangered species without a permit
- trading of endangered species without a permit
- false claims of conservation and lies about where the tigers came from
- illegally charging entrance to a zoo without a zoo permit
- abusive dominant handling of animals for their exploitation as tourist attractions
- inadequate facilities and care of the tigers, detrimental to their health and well-being
no-one has even attempted to prove that the allegations are not true. it's just denial and gainsaying.
quote from the abbot, "If we are that bad, this place would have been closed or we would have been arrested."
source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/301008_Outlook/30Oct2008_out50.php
this might be rephrased as, "if we weren't such a large mafia operation, with police and government officials in our pocket and sharing the profits, as is common in our corrupt society, then surely this place would have been closed or we would have been arrested..."
but anyone with any idea about tigers, animal welfare and ethics know that they are indeed that bad. unfortunately, most people do not care and do not understand the animals are suffering.
Oh dear, you've been sadly misled by the Tiger Temple. The tigers, far from being 'rescued', are actually ilegally traded. Whenever one dies, a new tiger is quickly drafted in and promptly re-named with the same name. The monks are effectively inbreeding them at the temple - this will in no way contribute to tiger conservation efforts as the genetic pool is uncontrolled and limited. The tigers are all tame, so will never be released.
Following repeated complaints from tourists and volunteers working at the temple about tigers being shockingly mistreated there, Care for the Wild International (CWI) undertook an intensive two year investigation. The resulting CWI report reveals illegal wildlife trade, animal cruelty, false conservation claims and visitor safety risks at the Temple.
You can read the report at: http://www.careforthewild.com/projects.asp?detail=true&I_ID=580&mypage=Reports
This issue has widespread media coverage:
CWI's press release - "Illegal tiger trade, cruelty and human health hazards at famous tourist destination":
http://www.careforthewild.com/files/tt_news_release%2020-06-08.pdf
"Black market tigers linked to Thai Temple, Reports says"
National Geographic News, 20 June 2008:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080620-tiger-temple.html
Please consider removing the positive comments from your blog, as this only generates more interest for the temple.
