For the hordes of tourists making the day trip from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, Tiger Temple offered a feel-good story of man-animal harmony and along with it came the opportunity for the perfect photo-op. Sure, there were those nagging questions about the big cats looking drugged or the cubs being over-fed, about the whole thing being unnatural.
But why let these uncomfortable thoughts ruin a good profile photo that could get you a bunch of likes and right-swipesIJ And so it was that for years together Tiger Temple thrived as one of Thailand’s best known tourist spots, even as animal rights activists and international organisations repeatedly raised red flags. Occasionally, Thai authorities also stepped in (like in 2015, when they investigated after three adult male tigers went missing) but evidently, they never went far enough – in part because the ‘secular’ officials didn’t want to be seen as messing with monks who supposedly had support from the locals who genuinely believe that the temple ‘rescued’ the tigers, and in part because law enforcement in Thailand isn’t always top-notch.
However, last week, the situation changed dramatically. Under international pressure, Thai authorities carried out an unprecedented week-long raid during which 137 tigers were rescued, and then the facility was shut down for good. The authorities also found ample evidence of large-scale wildlife trafficking. This isn’t surprising, given that Thailand is a transit point for tiger parts that are eventually supplied to China and other south-east Asian countries where they are used in traditional medicines for their supposed healing properties.
The focus will now be on bringing the Tiger Temple monks to justice but let us not forget the tigers – raised by humans, they can never be released into the wild; and contrary to popular opinion, have no conservation value. They are being kept in Government facilities for now but these aren’t in great shape either, and only will time will tell how all the talk about setting up a new facility pans out.