After years of controversy and countless animal rights campaigners and wildlife protection agencies calling for the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand to be shut down, it appears that the Thai authorities are FINALLY starting to take note with initial reports of the Tiger Temple being raided and the animals impounded.
Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua – more famously known as the Tiger Temple – in Kanchanaburi province has been the source of huge controversy for years now, with reports of widespread abuse of the tigers, hampering of true conservation efforts and involvement in the illegal wildlife trade. Much of the debate among travellers tended to focus on whether the tigers were drugged or not in order to sedate them so tourists could get that all important selfie shot, completely missing the point that there are many other forms of abuse.
Clear Evidence Of Abuse.
On top of the countless and sustained reports of abuse, malnutrition, drugging and ill treatment of the tigers, there have also been repeated accusations that the temple is linked to the illegal tiger trade and breeds the tigers without regard for international conservation efforts. Bemused Backpacker’s charity partner Care For The Wild International released a report back in 2008 that stated:
“Although the Tiger Temple may have begun as a rescue centre for tigers (and that is a very big ‘may’), it has become a breeding centre to produce and keep tigers solely for the tourists and therefore the Temple’s benefit. Illegal international trafficking helps to maintain the Temples’ captive tiger population. There is no possibility of the Temples’ breeding programme contributing to the conservation of the species in the wild.”
*Update: Since this article was published the charity and partners of Bemused Backpacker, Care For The Wild International, were unfortunately closed down and swallowed up by Born Free who do not share all of the same goals and principles of Care For The Wild International and the page this report was on has been deleted. This is a huge loss to the conservation world but their message of responsible wildlife tourism lives on.
With so much evidence over such a sustained period of time, it is truly shocking that action wasn’t taken sooner, but according to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS), on Tuesday 3rd February 2015, a combined force of more than 100 forestry and park officials, police and soldiers searched the temple and impounded all the tigers and birds found there.
Part of me wants to say about damn time, but another part worries about the Thai authorities ability and determination to deal with the situation in the right manner. It appears for now at least that the birds have been removed from the temple and taken to Khao Pratap Chang wildlife research station in Ratchaburi, but there is no word yet on what will happen to the tigers themselves other than for the moment they have been impounded.
The big problem is many of them have been bred illegally without any breeding data, and there is a strong possibility that they will be almost impossible to rehabilitate back into the wild.
International Intervention Is Needed.
There is a strong need now for wildlife protection charities, experts and organisations to get involved and ensure that the care of the tigers has international supervision, and that the tiger temple itself is never allowed to operate as a tourist attraction again. I strongly hope too that the Abbot – who appears for the moment to have done a runner to Bangkok – is prosecuted for the abuse he has overseen, but I guess that may be too much to hope for.
I don’t yet know what will happen to these tigers or if the temple will remain open. I certainly hope it does not, and that the tigers receive the care they deserve. Whatever happens next, if the temple is allowed to remain open for whatever reason, I urge all of you not to support it and instead find ways to view and interact with wildlife on your travels in an ethical and sustainable way.
Update: The temple as of this moment has been shut down and the tigers confiscated, but the Thai authorities are currently allowing plans for a new ‘zoo’ to be built next door to the old site of the temple by the same people who used to run it.
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Michael Huxley is a published author, professional adventurer and founder of the travel website, Bemused Backpacker. He has spent the last twenty years travelling to over 100 countries on almost every continent, slowly building Bemused Backpacker into a successful business after leaving a former career in emergency nursing and travel medicine, and continues to travel the world on numerous adventures every year.
Bemused Backpacker 
I agree that it is worrying what will happen to the tigers. It certainly sounds a promising step forward though, hopefully this recognition can help to highlight this issue even more to the tourists, both the tour groups and the independent travellers who refuse to see the problem, to see that is it a unethical sham.
Great post, thank you.
Thank you for reading it! I totally agree, even if this horrible place remains open after this I hope tourists and travellers alike will FINALLY open their eyes and see the harm they are doing by getting their all important selfies. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
You are welcome! It enrages me when I see these tiger selfies these days, there is enough information online, shared on Twitter etc that people should know, but they deny it, they don’t ‘see’ the problem. It’s the stuff you can’t see that’s the problem! Let’s hope this is hope!
Amazing news!
Indeed it is! 🙂
I can’t believe the naivety of some tourists, I mean who the hell still thinks there is no harm in going to pose with a tiger if they are treated so badly? Unbelievable! I hope they shut this place down!
I hope so too Peter. Thanks for commenting.
Excellent and informative article, Michael. Certainly a worry about the fate of the tigers themselves, though they couldn’t be in a worse situation than with it open. As you say, I doubt there’s any hope of rehabilitation into the wild; they’ll need to be taken in by another sanctuary (one would hope).
I hope one exists where they can all go to Charlie, this is why an international effort is needed now. But as you say, their fate can hardly be worse than the one they have been facing.
I still can’t get over that video: What kind of crazy person pulls a tigers tail!??? They have no respect for the animals and it’s so sad to see that tourists go there, see that and think nothing of it. If they’re doing that in front of you, what are they doing to the animals behind the scenes?
I’m glad the authorities are listening to peoples concerns and are doing something. It’s sad it took so long however.
Couldn’t agree more. It’s shocking that it took so long.
I had no idea about any of this.. thank you for sharing. I can understand the initial want by some to try and do what they think is helping, but in the end, I think all animals should be left alone. They’ve gotten along fine without our interference. Such beautiful animals, I hope the situation improves for them.
I do see what you mean Tara but unfortunately that isn’t an option now for many of these animals, they need international intervention to ensure they are homed and treated properly.
Now it is in the news that the Thai government has found no evidence of abuse and isn’t shutting it down!? What? Seriously?
I know, I can’t believe it myself and would love to see what criteria they used, especially given that so many international bodies have cited clear and distinct evidence of various abuses. Absolutely disgusted.