Libero.id - It’s been a long time coming but these captive tigers are about to start a new life. In light of illegal animal trafficking, 40 of the 137 have been removed so far from the temple in the Kanchanaburi province. The 1000-man mission will last one week. The raid was a victory for the authorities in a game of tug-and-war that has gone on with the infamous temple since 2001.
The monks of the The Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Tiger Temple, who for the longest time denied the allegations, finally caved last week when faced with a court order. According to the authorities, the wild animals are being taken to animal refuges. Which is ironic because the temple marketed itself as a wildlife sanctuary when in reality they are facing allegations of animal abuse and wildlife trafficking.
Image via bbc
"We have a court warrant this time, unlike previous times when we only asked for the temple's co-operation, which did not work," Adisorn Nuchdamrong, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks told AFP.
This will no doubt affect the tourism industry in the area. The famous tourist destination would charge a fee for visitors to feed and pet the animals even though they didn’t charge a fee for entrance.
Image via bbc
The temple is no newbie when it comes to animal abuse headlines. Back in February 2015, a raid on the temple revealed jackals, hornbills and Asian bears all being kept at the sanctuary without the necessary permits.
While it’s a great leap forward that authorities are taking action on the laws passed in 2015 that aim to curb the excess of wildlife trafficking in Thailand, tourists visiting the region should also take note and not feed the absurd demand for snapping a cute selfie with a baby tiger cub. Be sure to get educated when you go abroad and if you want to play with crazy wildlife, double check that it is a legitimate sanctuary.
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