Tigers Seized In Thailand: Buddhist Temple Accused Of Abuse


More than 100 tigers are being seized from a Thailand Buddhist temple amid accusations of abuse. Officials with the Department of National Parks confirmed Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno was served with a warrant this week and was ordered to surrender all tigers on the premises. According to reports, the temple is accused of illegal breeding practices and black-market animal trafficking.

Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Tiger Temple, which is commonly referred to as the Thailand Tiger Temple, was founded in 1994. Although the temple has become a topic of heated controversy, it was meant to be a sanctuary for wild animals.

As discussed by Bangkok Daily Tours, tigers were introduced to the temple by then-abbot Phra Acharn Phusi in 1999. Over the next 17 years, the monks accepted and tended to abandoned cubs and injured tigers, which were often brought to the temple by members of the community. They also started their own breeding program and opened the sanctuary to tourists.

Although Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno is still promoted as a sanctuary and the monks are outspoken in their criticism of illegal poaching, an estimated 137 tigers will be seized from the Thailand temple amid accusations of ongoing abuse.

In 2015, Thailand introduced legislation to provide protections for animals held in captivity. However, the monks at Thailand Tiger Temple were unwilling to cooperate and resisted routine inspections.

The Huffington Post reports a total of 10 tigers were seized from the Thailand temple in January and February. Wildlife officials claimed the animals “spent much of their lives in cement cells” and often appeared heavily sedated. The monks are also accused of selling the animals on the black market despite federal laws prohibiting the practice.

Department of National Parks Director Adisorn Nuchdamrong said he and his colleagues have been concerned about the tigers’ welfare for several years. However, they needed an official court order to force the monks to surrender the tigers.

“We have a court warrant this time, unlike previous times, when we only asked for the temple’s cooperation, which did not work.”

Representatives from Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno have not commented on the warrant or the subsequent seizure of the tigers. However, in previous interviews, the monks have vehemently denied accusations of wrongdoing.

Wildlife officials began seizing the tigers from the Thailand temple on Monday. Although an estimated 1,000 people are involved in the massive rescue operation, it could take up to a week to sedate the 137 tigers and transport them to state-approved facilities.

On Monday, the officials seized seven tigers. The following day, they returned to seize 33 more. Before the end of the week, the wildlife officials hope to have the remaining 97 tigers transferred to other sanctuaries throughout Thailand.

Unfortunately, the monks faced accusations of impropriety before the tigers were seized from their Thailand sanctuary. Earlier this year, wildlife officials confirmed the seizure of Asian bears, hornbills, and jackals, which were being kept at the facility without the required permits.

During Monday’s raid, officials seized six more hornbills from the private residence of one of the Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno monks.

Although the Thailand Tiger Temple is open to the public, the monks are prohibited from charging admission. They do, however, charge tourists to feed and take photos with the tigers. It is unclear whether the facility will remain open to the public following the raid and the seizure of the tigers.

The Guardian reports Thailand is notorious for the black-market trading of wildlife, including exotic birds, reptiles, and various mammals. In many cases, the animals being sold are endangered.

Although the tigers seized from the Thailand sanctuary will be spared future abuse, the illegal trade of wild animals remains a serious issue.

[Image via Jeep2499/Shutterstock]

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