I’ve been there, it was pretty obvious to me the tigers were drugged and sick from living in tiny cages at night (which I saw). The image purveyed of ‘helpful monks’ saving tigers from extinction could not be further from the truth. Would not recommend those who like to see animals live purposeful lives.

Considering this animal’s purposeful life would include eating/mauling etc, I for one say if you want to keep them near you, drug them if that’s what it takes - unless you bring them up all Gandhian-like.

They are definately drugged. But thats cool. I bet they are loving it!!! Like, yo man, scratch my ear again.

[...] Source: Green Expander [...]

the first comment says it all - the next ones seem to be from typically stupid americans who think nature owes them a living…

I agree.

The truth is that the Tigers the public meet are a select few (the older Tigers, first brought to the monestry) who are used to people and cannot be re-introduced to the wild.

There is a breeding program there and newly born cubs are not seen by the public for exactly this reason.

When you meet them they have already been well fed and you are only allowed to approach them in a particular way as not to startle them. You have to follow the instructions given by the handlers and it is anotherf handler who takes the picture with your own camera.

And if you’ve been there and read anything about what they are doing there you would already know this.

I am an American living abroad. Sadly, it becomes harder and harder for me to defend the arrogance (and ignorance) of my fellow Americans. I find it sad that many animals living in captivity do not have happy lives, although it isn’t really my place to judge or criticize what happens in other countries.

I am living in Manila and am seriously thinking of taking the 4 hour flight to Thailand to see this.

Thanks for the awesome post!

man alive, it didn’t take long for some unoriginal nitwit to start the “i hate america” party. go away dirty flame troll and next time, please try to think about what broad, sweeping generalisations HAVEN’T been so overdone.
really, you’re no better.
have a fucking nice day!

alri rob, im in manila aswell where r u.

i came across this looking for something meaningful and let me just say… i think the face that they’re not being killed by poachers is pretty good… i believe it said that they were saved from them didnt it? oh right, it did… so if they had just let them be then… OH! they’d be dead! so maybe they’re there for a reason? and i dunno about you but if you really think hard about it, it wouldnt make much sense to throw them right back into that would it? I know I would love to visit, even if it was just to watch them!

All this fighting over tigers and ethics… if you’re all gonna talk so big maybe you should get off your asses and DO something… just my opinion…. and YES i do a lot as a matter of fact, why would I bring that up and not do anything myself? its just nonsensical!
and i dont mean give a few dollars here and there ladies and gentlemen….. so dont try and bash on me like you do eachother (thats pathetic). why dont you just do something to help them rather than sit here and argue over incredbly vain and stupid things? in this instance your actions would speak more truth than your words!

boo- yah bitches…..
go save a rainforest or something…

PSK <3

Make an informed decision- Read the report supported by conservationists around the world

Tiger Temple- Illegal Wildlife Trafficking, Animal Cruelty and Tourist Safety Risks

Download report here:
http://www.careforthewild.com/projects.asp?detail=true&I_ID=580&mypage=Reports

Video footage on YouTube:
Tiger Temple/ Animal Cruelty -1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl54RliBgGc

Tiger Temple/ Animal Cruelty, Moving with Force- 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41izUzo25u4

Tiger Temple/ Aggressive Tigers - 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpLFmE9LReA

Tiger Temple/ Injured Tiger- 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEZhHo-ESXE

Tiger Temple/ Restrained for Photo-taking- 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G0GhDwMrFw

Tiger Temple/ Visitor Safety Risks- 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCg0Lpwbt3w

Tiger Temple/ Enclosures- 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTxOzbL7uqs

None the tigers will ever be release back into the wild. They are breeding cubs that will never be released. All new born cubs are handled by humans. Have look at their offical website. There are photos showing this.

Illegal trade has never help wild tiger populations and evidence has been found of the temple’s illegal trading with a tiger farm in Laos.

Animal rescue centre would never allow humans handling their animals, let alone 400+ tourists a day.

I think people should stop saying dumb things and making up stuff about people trying to actually stop tigers from being pouched (20,000) dollars a pelt. Not to sound mean but in some of these countries in Asia a large majority of the population make 1 dollar a month salary. So it’s easy to say something stupid about Tigers or any other earthly creature if it’s going to feed you. The sad thing is the spirit of the land is dying and that is a crisis not appearing on the physical but imperative in the metaphysical so if there alive it’s a great thing… Save the world, save its creatures if you don’t the consequences are irreversible…

It doesn’t matter greatly what conditions these animals live in when you consider the priority, as these days everything boils down to them surviving at all, the main issue. Mankind needs to stop being so greedy and preserve the species which, as many people seem ignorant to, are vital to the global ecosystem we depend off.

Stupid Americans? What about the dirty Thais that pimp out nature in every form? Fuck You, Europeans.

“Typically stupid Americans”?

Ok, first of all…Thanks a lot for the insult. I happen to be an educated American who works with big cats as an intern for NO PAY. Nature does NOT owe me a living, I make NO MONEY doing it, and I don’t appreciate being judged just because I’m an American. I love big cats and it makes me sick to think that they are being drugged and exploited. You might not have insulted me personally, but you lumped me right in there by saying we’re all stupid. My government has made many mistakes but I will not pay for them like it was my fault. I don’t judge other cultures, even though when I went to Europe almost everyone was rude to me. I may be American, but I am not stupid and you are just making yourself look like an ass by saying we are all the same. There are all kinds of people in this world, good and bad, no matter where you are from. Grow up, and stop judging people you don’t even know.

I went to Tiger Temple (Kanchanaburi) in April and the tigers are drugged for 2 hours a day- as our guide stated. I still was in awe of these great animals. You have to realise it’s a catch 22 situation.These animals are being rescued from poachers and/or have been injured. In order to improve the sanctuary(admittedly they have a long way to go!)the tourist dollar(Baht!)helps.I hope the new tiger section is completed asap.Cheers!!

….I was more “scared” of having my hand held while waiting for my turn for pics!!!:)

Having just returned from Thailand I visited the Tiger Temple my self to see first hand.
The Tigers are drugged, doped cannot even lift their legs off the ground they have to be dragged around by their tails by Aussies/English and Americans working there.
There is ONE monk who works there, he is on all photos. They are stuffed in cages and kept there until the next photo shoot…..
The fact they advertise to be poor is a joke. It is privately owned NOT owned by monks at all. They have a magazine , a very glossy expensive one, you can subscribe to.
The walls around their land is made of the most expensive brick you can buy in Thailand and ALL the Thai people avoid this place and rally to close them down…
oh and the fees have increased from 100 Baht to 500 Baht in one year. If that’s not enough to convince you it’s a money making racket if your T Shirt is too short sleeved ( though how they measure this I don’t knoe ) they insist you cannot enter without buying one of theirs.
Do no go trust me it is BAD. As a travel agent I will not be promoting this to clients.
Do you really need to pat a Tiger ??? the way they are kept is no diferent to the hunters who take them for rugs.

When I first found out about this in a Thailand holiday catalogue I was so excited. I thought my dream has come true, you really can lie down and pat these gorgeous animals! But then I did a little more research… this doesn’t sound like a nice life for these tigers at all!! being drugged up so much that they can barely move, isnt my idea of them being tame enough to be patted by tourists. I think that is absolutely horrible. I understand they are there to be kept safe from poachers, but it isnt the best solution I believe. why can’t they be taken care of properly on some kind of program in a zoo… not to laze around all day being handled by hundreds of strangers all the time.

As much as I would love to pat one or all of these tigers, I don’t think it is helping the situation at all. Why can’t the Monks use the money they take off the Tourists, and put it all towards a proper home for these tigers????????????????????? Not much thought has gone into this I don’t think. NOT AT ALL.

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!!

It would be my dream to pat these creatures like a pet dog or something. But i would feel waay to guilty knowing the truth behind how it all works and how it is made possible.

OK people. These cats are not drugged. Has anyone ever owned a domestic feline? You feed them and once fed they curl up and sleep or become very lethargic. I’ve owned many domestic cats in my life and this happens each time you feed them. They nap or want to take one just like people do after a large meal.

Big cats are no different than domestic breeds. At Tiger Temple, tourists are only allowed to be around the tigers once they have been fed. They feed them raw meat that contains no animal blood and they actually get real canned cat food mixed in with their diet to provide them with nutrients.

This whole issue has been researched by people that actually stayed there just for the purpose of finding the truth. The cats cages are not only clean but very large. The volunteers that help with their care do so in a loving manner.

This place provides refuge for tigers that would have otherwise been put to death for their pelts. How anyone can condem the work the Monks do in order to provide a safe, loving place for them to live out their lives, is beyond me.

I’m all about saving animals large and small. I’m all about protecting them from harm. They have a much better life than those that live in zoo’s or travel with a circus. God bless the Monks that give such love and care to something I hold dear in my heart!

Anyone interested may want to read the article I have posted the link to below.
I would just like to comment that if you haven’t been there behind the scenes yourself, you cannot possibly know what goes on there for sure. They can make the public think whatever they want to display a possitive image.
As far as the tigers being better off than if they were killed by poachers, perhaps that is true. But are these people qualified to breed these animals and is that right? Are we asking which is the lesser of two evils here? And why exactly is so much money coming in but not being used for the “tiger sanctuary” they claim they are building?

http://friskodude.blogspot.com/2007/09/tiger-temple-negative-report.html

What is it with almost everyone in the world picking on Americans. You know it is times like this that I wish we let the Nazis kill everyone, or the Soviets take over, or the Japanese enslave everyone or stop giving more than anyone else in human history to the benefit of mankind or lead the world in innovation or invent things that help humanity or provide the freaking internet free of charge!!! Yeah, us Hate filled American should just all f’ing die right?

yes their drugged its the only way the creatures can be experianced by humans and drugged or not this does prevent extintion you cant hunt a tiger in captivity also they mate in there as long as they do not suffer from this its not a problem nor is it cruel

…..

First off, let’s remember that they are animals. Animals are meant to be in the wild but I don’t hear anyone complaining when a dog or cat is taken into a house. If someone wants to adopt a tiger, let them. And to make it even better, they’re not taking them from the wild but from poachers. And if you don’t want them to get anymore, then like someone said earlier, do something about the poaching. So if you’re gonna bash people for helping animals, then get on everyone who does it, not just the people who do it to tigers.

I have watched a documentry on this a while back and they feed the Tiger’s cooked meat as this helps them become more docile. I have never been to The Tiger Temple, but I have Thailand. I no doubt believe they are drugged. I have worked with Tigers recently and they are by no means that chilled out. They can be unpredictable because they are wild animals and they have their instincts. I don’t believe this ‘Tiger Temple’ is helping them. Who would want to spend all day drugged up and caged at night? Yes it prevents them from being poached but they have a breeding programme and don’t intend on releasing them? That’s stupid. We are the reason there are so few so we should help with the breeding programmes like they do in Zoos. Yes it may not be the best idea but it’s helping to keep this species alive that WE have hunted and killed off. We’ve killed THREE subspecies lets not kill the others.

Big Gabe,

I have seen the medical profiles of alot of the tigers at the temple. Some of them state ‘wild caught’ not intercepted from poachers. Others state ‘Imported from Laos’. Under cites the Tiger Temple can not import or export endangered species.

So did the temple really take the tigers from poachers? I think not.
The CWI report on the temple states they have spoken with a tiger trader who admits to selling the temple it’s first four tigers.
The report also has inserted a document that states an illegal exchange of two tigers. Most of the tigers have been bred at the temple. You can bet none of the tigers have been rescued.

The temple continually breeds the tigers simply because it wants cubs to draw in the tourists and make the big dollars. Animal Planet has taken it’s tiger temple documentries and any advertising for the temple off the air.

The temple is a money making enterprise that relies on the ignorance and selfishness of tourists to line the pockets.

…..

Reading all of this just cuts me up inside. This place sounds more like a Tiger Prison rather than a Sanctuary.

How can anyone believe that this is a good thing? So many people around the world who support this place have been deceived and must be extremely gullible.

C’mon people, open your eyes up!!

This place sounds more like a Tiger Prison, rather than a Tiger Sanctuary.

Big Gabe,

no one complains when someone takes a dog or a cat into a house - because these are domestic pets… not wild animals!

you can’t really compare them.

That is amazing. I think I am going to have to set up a trip to Thailand now just to go there.

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hey!why you all are thinking that all the tigers were drunk ed.
They are living there since from their childhood so they were mingled up with all the people who comes there to see them