Tiger Temple
Jan 25, 2016, 8:54 am
#16
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Do not visit, do not give your money to these "attractions"
I recall flying THAI and their in-flight magazine highly suggesting NOT to visit these temples or protected areas for elephants and so on where tourists are invited to bathe and play along. The abuse on these animals is outrageous.
Summary: Do not visit and give your money to these "touristic attractions".
THAI suggestion went as far as saying that if in Thailand and wanting some real local experience then to apply for a minimum seven-day stay as a volunteer of a ONG in real areas where they protect and care for abused animals. None are near Bangkok, for obvious reasons - none are that touristic. After all, wild animals have been abused in these temples in such a way that they do not serve even for display.
Does anyone really want to be part of financing these abuses ?
Summary: Do not visit and give your money to these "touristic attractions".
THAI suggestion went as far as saying that if in Thailand and wanting some real local experience then to apply for a minimum seven-day stay as a volunteer of a ONG in real areas where they protect and care for abused animals. None are near Bangkok, for obvious reasons - none are that touristic. After all, wild animals have been abused in these temples in such a way that they do not serve even for display.
Does anyone really want to be part of financing these abuses ?
Jan 25, 2016, 4:34 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
This tiger temple takes in vast quantities of cash in admittance fees, something estimated at 100 million baht per year. But the rumors are that they make a ton more trading tiger parts (bones, penises, etc.) on the traditional medical supply secondary markets.
The head abbot has been seen/photographed/shamed on social media here flying in F on TG, not that commercialization of Thai Theravada Buddhism should come as a shock to anyone.
The head abbot has been seen/photographed/shamed on social media here flying in F on TG, not that commercialization of Thai Theravada Buddhism should come as a shock to anyone.
Jan 25, 2016, 7:48 pm
#18
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: KWI
Programs: I travel for fun these days.
Posts: 383
I say go and see the tigers. Is it all natural and perfectly eco-friendly? Of course not.
Where would the tigers be if they weren't in the "temple"? I certainly wouldn't want them living in the trees just outside my home.
This may be one of the few places in the world where you can actually interact with the animals. Do it while they're still alive and you can.
Where would the tigers be if they weren't in the "temple"? I certainly wouldn't want them living in the trees just outside my home.
This may be one of the few places in the world where you can actually interact with the animals. Do it while they're still alive and you can.
Jan 25, 2016, 8:25 pm
#19
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
Where would the tigers be if they weren't in the "temple"?
Uhm, in the jungles of Thailand, where there are hundreds.
I certainly wouldn't want them living in the trees just outside my home.
Where do you live? Thong Lor? Agreed that might not be the best spot. But there are plenty of big cats in the north (Phrae, Lampang, etc).
This may be one of the few places in the world where you can actually interact with the animals.
Interact? Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot. Plenty of places where you can become tiger bait.
Uhm, in the jungles of Thailand, where there are hundreds.
I certainly wouldn't want them living in the trees just outside my home.
Where do you live? Thong Lor? Agreed that might not be the best spot. But there are plenty of big cats in the north (Phrae, Lampang, etc).
This may be one of the few places in the world where you can actually interact with the animals.
Interact? Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot. Plenty of places where you can become tiger bait.
Jan 26, 2016, 10:57 am
#20
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GRU
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If one cares for their being alive and well taken care, this is one more reason not to give money to these temples/sanctuaries or other pompous names these places adopt to attract ill-informed tourists. Wild animals are to live in their natural habitat.
Thailand, and Bangkok, are so beautiful as they are with so many fun and cultural activities... Is it really necessary/reasonable to include wild animals and force them to participate, for the simple sheer of our pleasure ?
Jan 26, 2016, 11:36 am
#21
Community Director Emerita
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transpac, fascinating updates on the events at Tiger Temple. I just happened on this thread and caught up on the last year of events. We learned about Tiger Temple 10 years ago from a poster on FT. We visited it and were enthralled but would likely not make the same decision today based on your posts.
Jan 26, 2016, 6:24 pm
#22
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: DEN
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In typical Thai Style: once busted and exposed for doing wrong file defamation suit against the accuser.
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/...icking-report/
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/...icking-report/
Jan 29, 2016, 6:40 pm
#23
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
Govt begins removing tigers from scandal-tainted temple
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/envi...tainted-temple
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/envi...tainted-temple
Feb 4, 2016, 10:03 am
#24
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,283
I happened to catch part of al Jazeera's 101East program last weekend about animal abuse in Thailand. I think it was originally broadcast last summer. The part I saw was focused on the Tiger Temple. And then an elephant sanctuary near CM doing things the right way.
Feb 6, 2016, 10:00 pm
#25
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I visited the Tiger Temple years ago and paid extra to cuddle the baby cubs. They were so cute and I hate to say I absolutely loved cuddling and feeding them. I was not so enthralled with the big cats. I just don't know how they could of been so placid. I didn't like to think about it.
I'm glad they are doing something about it if they are not being looked after properly.
Thanks for the post from the Bangkok paper.
I'm glad they are doing something about it if they are not being looked after properly.
Thanks for the post from the Bangkok paper.
Feb 15, 2016, 1:08 pm
#26
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GRU
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A Scottish tourist was killed by an elephant in Thailand; Tourists believe wild beautiful yet respectful beasts are simple cargo animals that can be easily tamed and enjoyed.
These elephants are usually tortured when babies so they fear humans when adults. And when adults, used and abused for long 8-hour shifts carrying above what specialists suggest, which is 150kgs, all included (people, metal chair et all) and for max 4 hours/day.
Eventually someone may be interested in How to interact ethically with elephants in Thailand.
These elephants are usually tortured when babies so they fear humans when adults. And when adults, used and abused for long 8-hour shifts carrying above what specialists suggest, which is 150kgs, all included (people, metal chair et all) and for max 4 hours/day.
Eventually someone may be interested in How to interact ethically with elephants in Thailand.
Feb 15, 2016, 6:25 pm
#27
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
Yes, when the males are in heat (musth) they can get a wee bit crazy. And females, protecting off-spring, will also challenge people and vehicles.
Tourists in Thailand have no idea they’re Riding “Killer Elephants”
BANGKOK – On any given day in Thailand, tourists could be paying to climb atop an elephant that has previously trampled or gored a human being.
That’s not a fact you’ll find in glossy holiday brochures, which showcase travelers blissfully riding pachyderms as they lumber through the jungle. Nor do elephant handlers tend to mention to selfie-snapping tourists if their beasts have a history of violence.
Instead, elephants that kill are often resold to new owners and renamed to obscure their identities, wildlife conservationists say. Then they’re recycled back into the tourist trade so that new handlers can keep collecting cash from visitors — who are often more concerned with Facebook “likes” than animal abuse.
http://www.chiangraitimes.com/touris...elephants.html
Yes, he's wearing the brown pants.
Tourists in Thailand have no idea they’re Riding “Killer Elephants”
BANGKOK – On any given day in Thailand, tourists could be paying to climb atop an elephant that has previously trampled or gored a human being.
That’s not a fact you’ll find in glossy holiday brochures, which showcase travelers blissfully riding pachyderms as they lumber through the jungle. Nor do elephant handlers tend to mention to selfie-snapping tourists if their beasts have a history of violence.
Instead, elephants that kill are often resold to new owners and renamed to obscure their identities, wildlife conservationists say. Then they’re recycled back into the tourist trade so that new handlers can keep collecting cash from visitors — who are often more concerned with Facebook “likes” than animal abuse.
http://www.chiangraitimes.com/touris...elephants.html
Yes, he's wearing the brown pants.
Feb 17, 2016, 10:43 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
The comeback: Tiger population finally increasing in Thailand
The tiger population in Thailand is finally increasing after enhanced protection measures, a study has revealed.
The team of Thai and international scientists said that Thailand was the only place in Southeast Asia where tigers are confirmed to be increasing in population, and believe even better days lay ahead for the beautiful animals.
“The protection effort is paying off as the years have progressed, as indicated by the increase in recruitment, and we expect the tiger population to increase even more rapidly in the years to come,” said Somphot Duangchantrasiri, the lead author of the study.
http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/02/1...asing-thailand
The tiger population in Thailand is finally increasing after enhanced protection measures, a study has revealed.
The team of Thai and international scientists said that Thailand was the only place in Southeast Asia where tigers are confirmed to be increasing in population, and believe even better days lay ahead for the beautiful animals.
“The protection effort is paying off as the years have progressed, as indicated by the increase in recruitment, and we expect the tiger population to increase even more rapidly in the years to come,” said Somphot Duangchantrasiri, the lead author of the study.
http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/02/1...asing-thailand
Feb 26, 2016, 7:22 pm
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
Thailand's infamous tiger temple fights to keep big cats
Thailand's controversial Tiger Temple, dogged for years by talk that it supplies the black market and mistreats its animals, is fighting to keep the big cats after wildlife authorities rejected a bid to extend a zoo license that expired in 2013.
The Buddhist temple, home to more than 100 tigers, has been investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and wildlife activists have accused it of illegal breeding of the animals.
Thai wildlife authorities have sent ten of the temple's tigers to a wildlife sanctuary.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-th...-idUSKCN0VZ1CW
Thailand's controversial Tiger Temple, dogged for years by talk that it supplies the black market and mistreats its animals, is fighting to keep the big cats after wildlife authorities rejected a bid to extend a zoo license that expired in 2013.
The Buddhist temple, home to more than 100 tigers, has been investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and wildlife activists have accused it of illegal breeding of the animals.
Thai wildlife authorities have sent ten of the temple's tigers to a wildlife sanctuary.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-th...-idUSKCN0VZ1CW
Mar 3, 2016, 7:27 pm
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
Thailand's scandalous Tiger Temple is forced to release its captive cats
BANGKOK, Thailand — It’s among the dodgiest attractions in Asia: A so-called holy site where tourists pay to spoon with apex predators.
Sound like a bad idea? It is. The “Tiger Temple,” a monastery-cum-wildlife park in western Thailand staffed by orange-robed Buddhist monks, is roundly condemned by conservationists. It’s more of a hardcore petting zoo than a place of worship.
And its over-cuddled star attractions live in stark captivity instead of their natural jungle habitat — all to generate cash from backpackers eager for extreme wildlife selfies.
http://www.globalpost.com/article/67...temple-scandal
The next ‘Blackfish’ controversy may be at Thailand’s Tiger Temple
As the Tiger Temple tells it, the first cub had been ordered to be stuffed like a trophy after her mother was killed by poachers. But she escaped her fate and arrived at the Thai monastery in February 1999: traumatized, battered and barely able to eat — but alive. In the care of the temple’s monks, she found her new home.
From there the tiger population ascended to 147 tigers in 2015, and along with it the sanctuary’s reputation and revenue from visitors. It boasts a vast range of programs, including hands-on opportunities to bottle-feed the cubs and take selfies with them. But for years the temple has fought intense criticism: Two major reports have stated that the temple, also known as Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno, has made no contribution to conservation.
Even more strikingly, incidents of abuse have surfaced for years. Caretakers were squirting urine in the tigers’ faces to discipline them, an act of “extreme aggression,” according to a 2008 study by Call For The Wild International. A disturbing video of a tiger being punched in the face was posted to Facebook on Jan. 8, 2015, by visitor Pranay Dalmia, who also said that he saw a tiger being dragged by the tail. Tiger Temple wrote in the comments section, “I will be taking this to the management as we discussed on the day and hopefully this sort of behaviour will be stopped completely.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-tiger-temple/
BANGKOK, Thailand — It’s among the dodgiest attractions in Asia: A so-called holy site where tourists pay to spoon with apex predators.
Sound like a bad idea? It is. The “Tiger Temple,” a monastery-cum-wildlife park in western Thailand staffed by orange-robed Buddhist monks, is roundly condemned by conservationists. It’s more of a hardcore petting zoo than a place of worship.
And its over-cuddled star attractions live in stark captivity instead of their natural jungle habitat — all to generate cash from backpackers eager for extreme wildlife selfies.
http://www.globalpost.com/article/67...temple-scandal
The next ‘Blackfish’ controversy may be at Thailand’s Tiger Temple
As the Tiger Temple tells it, the first cub had been ordered to be stuffed like a trophy after her mother was killed by poachers. But she escaped her fate and arrived at the Thai monastery in February 1999: traumatized, battered and barely able to eat — but alive. In the care of the temple’s monks, she found her new home.
From there the tiger population ascended to 147 tigers in 2015, and along with it the sanctuary’s reputation and revenue from visitors. It boasts a vast range of programs, including hands-on opportunities to bottle-feed the cubs and take selfies with them. But for years the temple has fought intense criticism: Two major reports have stated that the temple, also known as Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno, has made no contribution to conservation.
Even more strikingly, incidents of abuse have surfaced for years. Caretakers were squirting urine in the tigers’ faces to discipline them, an act of “extreme aggression,” according to a 2008 study by Call For The Wild International. A disturbing video of a tiger being punched in the face was posted to Facebook on Jan. 8, 2015, by visitor Pranay Dalmia, who also said that he saw a tiger being dragged by the tail. Tiger Temple wrote in the comments section, “I will be taking this to the management as we discussed on the day and hopefully this sort of behaviour will be stopped completely.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-tiger-temple/