Thailands Tigers

There are 12 pictures of Tigers here that are living in captivity with the Monks of Thailand. I remember a few years ago there was a programme about the Monks and Tigers and it all seemed very wonderful, then I think I remember some information about the Tigers actually being taken from their mothers to live in the Monastry and also about the Tigers being sedated.
These pictures show the Monks, helpers and visitors playing and stroking the Tigers, I'm not sure you could stroke a sleeping Tiger unless it was sedated. Also I am not sure it's sensible to get the Tigers to play with plastic bags, whether they contain food or not.
Maybe I have got this all wrong, can anyone else remember anything about these Monks and the Tigers?
Heres the link to the pictures.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/9223569/Tiger-Temple.html

littlewid-x-

I remember seeing the programe on TV, and at the time thought, the same as you LW, but there has been a lot of criticism since then by many wildlife organisations.
Here are just a few
It is claimed that the Tiger Temple's philosophy for animal conservation is flawed. Care for the Wild International claimed that based on information collected between 2005 and 2008 the Tiger Temple is involved in clandestine exchange of tigers with the owner of a tiger farm in Laos contravening the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and national laws of Thailand and Laos. It claimed it operates as a tiger breeding facility without having a respective license as required under the Thai Wild Animals Reservation and Protection Act of 1992. It also claims animal welfare problems at the Tiger Temple are severe and include poor accommodation, lack of appropriate environments and veterinary care, and physical abuse of the tigers to make them compliant for visiting tourists.

Since the report by Care for the Wild International, a coalition of 39 prominent conservation groups, including the Humane Society International, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the World Wide Fund for Nature, have penned a letter to the Director General of National Parks in Thailand under the name 'The International Tiger Coalition'.[4] This letter urges the Director General to take action against the Tiger Temple over its import and export of 12 tigers with Laos, its lack of connection with accredited conservation breeding programmes, and to genetically test the tigers at the Tiger Temple in order to determine their pedigree and value to tiger conservation programmes. It concludes that the 'Temple does not have the facilities, the skills, the relationships with accredited zoos, or even the desire to manage its tigers in an appropriate fashion. Instead, it is motivated both in display of the tigers to tourists and in its illegal trading of tigers purely by profit.'

WS

Thats what I remember WS and I think we mentioned it on here before. I am surprised that the Telegraph are highlighting them and at he bottom of that link there is an advert I believe to go and visit the Tigers. I am sure many people who love Tigers will fall for the Monks supposed love and respect for the Tigers, I only hope the letter to the Director general will do some good to help these Tigers, it's a story we need to keep following.
Thanks for the information WS.

littlewid-x-

- that is not right, tigers should be in the wild not sedated for stupid people to pay to stroke the tigers. It makes me mad and desperately upset.

Lai

Me too Lai, Tigers are my favourite big cat and I hate to think of them being sedated so that people can get up close to them, if we were meant to do that they wouldn't be wild animals. I also feel sad that this place is still being looked at by some as some wonderful Tiger sanctuary.

littlewid-x-