Wildlife care group slams Tiger Temple
A wildlife action group has accused Thailand’s Tiger Temple, a popular tourist destination, of misleading tourists into believing that it is a tiger sanctuary "when it is actually nothing more than a money-making petting zoo where the animals must suffer mistreatment on a daily basis".
Temple of Lies, by UK-based Care for the Wild International, is a new report into the controversial temple in Kanchanaburi.
The charity raises a number of concerns in the report.
These include tigers being locked in bare enclosures well below international standards.
"Tigers are manhandled, hit, sat on and generally forced to perform for the public," the report says.
Tourists are also at risk because there are no safety zones, visible panic buttons or equipment in case of emergency.
The sanctuary is also accused of false marketing because it is
"neither a sanctuary nor a recognised conservation NGO".
The report says the temple claims to have 17 tigers, seven of which were orphans – "but the reality is that, according to staff they have well over 100, most of which were bred on site for the sole purpose of making a profit".
There is also a travel insurance risk for temple visitors, the report points out.
"Visitors are very unlikely to be covered by their travel insurance if they suffer injury, or worse, at the Tiger Temple. Signing a disclaimer, and undergoing a high-risk activity – eg having your photograph taken with a tiger – is likely to void any claim."
Care for the Wild CEO Philip Mansbridge, who visited the Tiger Temple to assess the claims and risks, said: "If you think Tiger Temple is some kind of spiritual tiger sanctuary, it isn’t.
"If you think they rescue abused tigers, or that the tigers will be released into the wild, they won’t be.
"If you think that a tiger wants to live in a small bare cage, have a chain around its neck and have tourists sit on its back, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.
"And if you think that, on the off-chance you might get injured, your insurance will cover you – it won’t."
See the full report at www.careforthewild.com.
Ian Jarrett
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