Deep in Western Thailand, in the forests near the border with Myanmar (Burma), rests a forest monastery, but not just any monastery, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, better known as -Tiger Temple. It is a temple that has grown from a simple place of worship by a handful of Buddhist monks who took in a single tiger in 1999, into an expansive "sanctuary" with 122 tigers to date. Since then it has become one of the most popular, and controversial, tourist destinations in all of Southeast Asia. Any Google search or internet perusing will yield countless articles and widely varying accounts and opinions on this mysterious place-from Animal Planet's video series in 2004 showcasing the Indochinese tigers and the wonders of the monks nurturing and interacting with these mythical and threatened creatures. But red flags have been raised against the temple, which range from physical abuse and malnourishment to drugging and even partaking in the illegal, black market tiger trade. The close proximity in which tourists are able to interact with the tigers lends itself to both a unique, yet potentially dangerous experience, and at the same time a criticism of the animal's rights. Coming into close proximity with any wild animal, particularly tigers, poses and inherent danger. To address this danger tourists are required to sign a wavier relieving the Tiger Temple of responsibility before entering the grounds and are instructed not to wear bright clothes, sunglasses, hats or kneel in front of the tigers. Despite this, there still remain several instances of injuries and mailings every year. The temple's transformation from a modest forest monastery serving as a simple place of refuge, to a full-blown wildlife sanctuary housing a myriad of animals along with a volunteer program run by Westerners, which includes a full-time veterinarian and a large organization of local staff to run the visitor operations has raised eyebrows among observers and begs the obvious question: Why is a Buddhist monastery operating a full scale wildlife project? Conservation groups, wild life experts, and an assortment of international journalists-claim that the temple is nothing more than a tiger farm for profit, whose "conservation" claims are not only unfeasible, but are completely baseless. The most damning of reports comes from Care for the Wild which sites an entire gamut of offensives against the temple, ranging from the illegal tiger trade to the cruel treatment and conditions in which the tigers are held. The type of tiger that is being bred there is in fact captive of a hybrid genetic type that does nothing to support increasing the wild tiger population now, or in the future-and if anything-may lead tourists to leave thinking that tigers are not in fact reaching critically low numbers in the wild. While some visitors leave happily with their cute tiger photos, other leave with an entirely different impression. "Glorified petting zoo", "tourist trap", and "circus" are not uncommon interpretations by more critical visitors. One of the most condemning voices of the temple and its project is not a tourist, but a former volunteer, Sybeell Foxcroft, who volunteered at the temple in 2007 and worked undercover with Care for the Wild foundation to investigate the conduct of staff and the treatment of tigers. Here is what she had to say, "Part of a documentary made over 4 years, throughout 2007 Australian wildlife conservationist, I worked within the Tiger Temple in Thailand and became a key witness to the wildlife trade and the abuse of the tigers and other creatures within the Temple. I worked as a pivotal undercover investigator for a conservation agency to expose this place. After the final report was release to the public in 2008, little was done. Dismayed at the missed opportunities to save these tigers and other animals, and halt the wildlife trade within the Temple, but not disheartened, I continued to investigate the temple on my own and gather evidence through my own wildlife investigation business, CEE-4 Life. On my last trip back in 2010, the reality of this place is apparent, it is a Tiger Farm. The other animals trapped in this place lead horrid lives. I try to bring to light the truth on animal abuse and trade in a 13 part documentary- Behind the Cloak of the Buddha. This is the beginning, that set everything in motion."
There are believed to be about 3,200 tigers left in the wild and more than 13,000 in captivity-half of which are in China. Tigers found in the wild are down 97% compared with a century ago. Thailand is thought to be home to between 250 and 300 wild tigers, but they are vulnerable. The biggest threat is a loss of habitat. Although nominally protected, Thailand's national parks are being encroached upon by human development, particularly monoculture plantations, roads and second homes for Bangkok's rich. Many locals also subsidize their incomes by poaching and illegal logging aloe and tropical hardwood. Park managers and police are worried that poachers and illegal traders would target the tigers once news gets out about their numbers in the area. The stakes are high. According to conservationists and police, poachers are paid 7,000 to 15,000 baht per kg for a tiger carcass. Middlemen than sell the animals on for about 10 times that amount, mostly to customers in China and Vietnam, where the animal's bones and penis are used in tonics and aphrodisiacs. Yet penalties for wildlife offences remain absurdly low, with fines ranging from 500 to 40,000 baht. Raids have shown Thailand has become a hub of the tiger trade, due to its location between other range nations in south-east Asia and China, the main market. The business is also supplied by Thailand's many tiger farms, some for which claim to operate as zoos while covertly breeding animals for sale. The most notorious is the Sri Racha zoo near Pattaya, which police have raided on several occasions, confiscating hundreds of animals. Tourists still flock to watch the farm-bred tigers jump through flaming hoops, suckle at pigs and walk around on their hind legs to the music of the Can-Can and laughter from the audience. Police and conservationists believe "zoos" encourage poaching, both as a source of breeding stock and by sustaining the market for tiger products.
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