Video: Worker filmed punching tiger at Thailand Tiger Temple

[wabothai]

Those big cats have a memory and remember his scent......What goes around, comes around........

too drugged.

If the tiger had not been drugged, he would have ripped him appart even if he had been a lovely trainer for all his life and that was a simple mistake.

So forget it, wont ever happen unless they run out of drugs.

Any thieves among us?

[mihalis]

Are u ok, or just a burnt farang.. Many countries take advantage of animals for money.. What's a culture have to do with anything.. Really I'm amazed at the hatred some have for Thailand on this forum.. U got burnt by a female, male or ladyoy get over it !

It amazes me that there are still people who defend the temple and its bogus claims.

Yes. It's all about the money. A culture where the price of everything is calculated to within 3 decimal places, but the actual value of anything seems to mystify all.

[dictater]

The kids that work there are normal kids, that 'punch' would have caused that tiger no harm or concern it was like the 'slap' I might give one of my dogs. That being said this temple ( I live in Kanchanaburi and remember when it was just a monk and one tiger) is a disgrace and I have known foreigners that have worked there and have been told what the set up is. Those kids that work there are no different then the kids who play at being Mahouts, with no experience and no training. They act like Thai kids everywhere so yes punching the tiger, flying leaps with the spike, pretending to kick the tigers all goes on regularly but it is the least concern of that thug

ged out tourist trap.

[mick01827]

as long as the Thais can do selfie with tigers, nothing else matters

Why would you think it's just thai's that want the photos, you do know that other countries holiday in Thailand! Or is it just about the thai's for you?

[Jim walker]

Roll up roll up come and watch us how we abuse and mistreat animals in a full hour show your children will never forget and will leave with many traumatised memories of the wonderful elephant and tiger shows or just visit a lovely Thai zoo and see how we keep bears lions in chicken cages not big enough for a hamster to exercise, and you might even get close enough to punch or kick a monkey if you are lucky, then sit down in our restaurant for a delicious dog burger or a puppy burger for the smaller children, this sort of news will have the tourist flocking to the animal shows in Thailand. On a few peoples bucket list by now.

[55Jay]

To the tiger that must have felt like a finger poke on a leg.

The real issue is why does this man risk his life looking after animals that will eat him if the idea crosses their mind and even tries to provoke his last meal.

What a load of poofs!

It's a massive animal, and he just got its attention. It won't be remotely bothered. It's not animal abuse. If you're getting a tap on the shoulder doesn't get your attention in a crowd, as you're being pushed about (as the tiger is all day long), someone might have to tap a bit harder. I'm no advocate of animal abuse, but I certainly think in the land of the "half kill" of animals before cooking, this isn't even one percent on the scale.

They probably do drug the animals but they drug themselves all the time, so once again, whilst that's probably abuse, there's a social line between sharing your cigarettes with a monkey who likes them and annoying it by being tight.

I'm not sure if these unusual comments, numbering about ten before this one are prompted by poofery or or lack of intellect, but you're all making white people look bad, so you need to do whatever you do instead of thinking before making idiotic comments.

Poofs, poofs, poofs, poofs, poofs, meow!

po͞of/

noun

British informal offensive

plural noun: poofs

1. an effeminate or homosexual man.

[Dap]

Wow, what a tough guy! Showing his incredible bravery in front of tourists. I like people who have guts but in this case I would be delighted if the tiger showed us all his guts; on the ground after disembowelling him.

I don't think the abbot would be too thrilled to release that vid

[SunsetT]

"We do not condone this sort of behavior with the tigers and this situation is being dealt with. This incident is not a frequent occurrence.

Imho, where there is smoke, there is fire.

The unfortunate problem with animal 'sanctuaries' are that animals are kept out of their natural habitat. Why are they kept out of their habitat? How many 'wild animals' have you seen in Thai forests outside of reserves? If allowed to roam, they would be hunted to extinction within a few years like every other animal that use to be plentiful in the once vast expanse of Thai forests that use to exist within the memories of some of the oldest citizens of Thailand. Within reserves, they are never the same. What's the solution? The UN and elites want to bottle up the human population in densely packed cities under the moniker of 'sustainable development', move most of the populace out of rural areas, corporatize farming, allow the rural infrastructure to crumble, allow the forests and wild areas to become 'wild' again, and decrease the population of humans to a manageable 500 million souls.

In an absurd way, I can understand their logic: the greater good of the planet and other wild species other than man; on the other hand, that "Georgia Guide Stones' model simply puts the animals in the sanctuaries back into the wild, and takes the humans out of the wild and puts them in sanctuaries. So instead of animal handlers punching the animals they care for, the elites become, as Orwell aptly put, "[A] boot stamping on a human face - forever."

I don't see a solution. Well, shy of letting the nuclear genie out of the bottle, an X-50 class solar flare, or a large comet/asteroid hit. Back to square one and let God reconsider his grand plan for a human species, some whom are the epitome of good, some whom are the epitome of bad, and most whom are mired in an existence of hedonistic, apathetic mediocrity.

Planet Earth will soon recover once she has gotten rid of us; the pesky human species arrogantly abusing the privilege of being the dominant species causing imbalance and all of Earth's problems.....That is if we dont get rid of each other first! Both ultimately will be the same process at work because balance in this natural World, of which we are a part, and not somehow separate or 'sacred', is, in essence, based on polarity. Evolution; natural selection through the survival of the fittest, works through opposition, competition and conflict and not, sadly, through harmony. It is built into the system, it is programmed into the very psyche of all life, the very psyche of this intelligent Earth.

[SunsetT]

He must be from another country. You know what I mean.

That wore thin months ago, get original or give it a rest.

I really wish scapegoating the Burmese or anyone else would 'wear thin' with the Thais! And until that happens the more often we can remind them of such a despicaple practice the better.......Keep it up legend49!

[SunsetT]

I've watched that video several times and for the life of me I cannot see what you people are all upset about. That little love tap wouldn't have hurt a flea on its fur. Some of you people need to get off the concrete and get dirt on your shoes occasionally or quit watching all those animated kiddy shows.

http://www.cee4life.org/tiger-temple-report/

[SunsetT]

The reporter of this item clearly needs his eyes tested. Using a short metal stick on a tiger is not a punch. What do you expect in a country that has no real animal or human rights. Kinda makes it worse that China where they treat animals much better and with respect.

But its an indicator of what goes on behind the scenes:

http://www.cee4life.org/tiger-temple-report/

[SunsetT]

Does that punch (around 0:20) really seem as a aggressive act and that huge cat even felt it?

Or, does it look more of a playful and teasing act done with affection?

But its an indication of what goes on behind the scenes:

http://www.cee4life.org/tiger-temple-report/

[cumgranosalum]

"We do not condone this sort of behavior with the tigers and this situation is being dealt with. This incident is not a frequent occurrence.

Imho, where there is smoke, there is fire.

The unfortunate problem with animal 'sanctuaries' are that animals are kept out of their natural habitat. Why are they kept out of their habitat? How many 'wild animals' have you seen in Thai forests outside of reserves? If allowed to roam, they would be hunted to extinction within a few years like every other animal that use to be plentiful in the once vast expanse of Thai forests that use to exist within the memories of some of the oldest citizens of Thailand. Within reserves, they are never the same. What's the solution? The UN and elites want to bottle up the human population in densely packed cities under the moniker of 'sustainable development', move most of the populace out of rural areas, corporatize farming, allow the rural infrastructure to crumble, allow the forests and wild areas to become 'wild' again, and decrease the population of humans to a manageable 500 million souls.

In an absurd way, I can understand their logic: the greater good of the planet and other wild species other than man; on the other hand, that "Georgia Guide Stones' model simply puts the animals in the sanctuaries back into the wild, and takes the humans out of the wild and puts them in sanctuaries. So instead of animal handlers punching the animals they care for, the elites become, as Orwell aptly put, "[A] boot stamping on a human face - forever."

I don't see a solution. Well, shy of letting the nuclear genie out of the bottle, an X-50 class solar flare, or a large comet/asteroid hit. Back to square one and let God reconsider his grand plan for a human species, some whom are the epitome of good, some whom are the epitome of bad, and most whom are mired in an existence of hedonistic, apathetic mediocrity.

Planet Earth will soon recover once she has gotten rid of us; the pesky human species arrogantly abusing the privilege of being the dominant species causing imbalance and all of Earth's problems.....That is if we dont get rid of each other first! Both ultimately will be the same process at work because balance in this natural World, of which we are a part, and not somehow separate or 'sacred', is, in essence, based on polarity. Evolution; natural selection through the survival of the fittest, works through opposition, competition and conflict and not, sadly, through harmony. It is built into the system, it is programmed into the very psyche of all life, the very psyche of this intelligent Earth.

" natural selection through the survival of the fittest, works through opposition, competition and conflict and not, sadly, through harmony."

You are making the classic schoolboy mistake about evolutionary theory. It is NOT opposition, you really need to familiarise yourself with what survival of the "fittest" actually meant to Darwin and Wallace....(Darwin didn't even coin the phrase) it is a massively misunderstood expression...in Victorian types "fit" meant "most suitable not "healthiest" or "strongest" as it does today.

Since Darwin and Wallace our understanding of evolution has continued to ex[end and you seem still clinging to Victorian misinterpretations of the original

Edited January 23, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[HerbalEd]

as long as the Thais can do selfie with tigers, nothing else matters

What about the tourists that do the same?

[ldiablo]

The worker can just claim he has a mental disorder and sue anybody and everybody and ensure anyone sharing the video gets fined and thrown in jail just like the former judge.

Anybody now caught doing something stupid can just claim they have a mental disorder.

Land of stupidity.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ldiablo

[kannot]

Are u ok, or just a burnt farang.. Many countries take advantage of animals for money.. What's a culture have to do with anything.. Really I'm amazed at the hatred some have for Thailand on this forum.. U got burnt by a female, male or ladyoy get over it !

It amazes me that there are still people who defend the temple and its bogus claims.

Yes. It's all about the money. A culture where the price of everything is calculated to within 3 decimal places, but the actual value of anything seems to mystify all.

Some people really make me wonder!!

[Minnie the Minx]

Visited the place years ago with a Thai friend and her son. Animals abusing other animals, I went out for a smoke when the show was on.

[BSJ]

It's sad to see the tigers in such a situation.....but it will continue as long as no-one high up is prepared to clean-up this dirty mess.

[steven100]

stupid place anyway .... but folks only ever jump up and down when they see or read something ...

what about the dozens of tigers killed through poaching ... for chinese medicine ... They set a wire snare at tiger crossings and the animal gets snared and dies there while the poachers come 3 days later.

It's horrific and barbaric to see how animals die at the hands of poachers ..... it's because of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Minnie the Minx]

Link? That was a practice years ago before the gov clamped down, along with rhino horns, eyes of newts and elephant nail clippings.

[SunsetT]

"We do not condone this sort of behavior with the tigers and this situation is being dealt with. This incident is not a frequent occurrence.

Imho, where there is smoke, there is fire.

The unfortunate problem with animal 'sanctuaries' are that animals are kept out of their natural habitat. Why are they kept out of their habitat? How many 'wild animals' have you seen in Thai forests outside of reserves? If allowed to roam, they would be hunted to extinction within a few years like every other animal that use to be plentiful in the once vast expanse of Thai forests that use to exist within the memories of some of the oldest citizens of Thailand. Within reserves, they are never the same. What's the solution? The UN and elites want to bottle up the human population in densely packed cities under the moniker of 'sustainable development', move most of the populace out of rural areas, corporatize farming, allow the rural infrastructure to crumble, allow the forests and wild areas to become 'wild' again, and decrease the population of humans to a manageable 500 million souls.

In an absurd way, I can understand their logic: the greater good of the planet and other wild species other than man; on the other hand, that "Georgia Guide Stones' model simply puts the animals in the sanctuaries back into the wild, and takes the humans out of the wild and puts them in sanctuaries. So instead of animal handlers punching the animals they care for, the elites become, as Orwell aptly put, "[A] boot stamping on a human face - forever."

I don't see a solution. Well, shy of letting the nuclear genie out of the bottle, an X-50 class solar flare, or a large comet/asteroid hit. Back to square one and let God reconsider his grand plan for a human species, some whom are the epitome of good, some whom are the epitome of bad, and most whom are mired in an existence of hedonistic, apathetic mediocrity.

Planet Earth will soon recover once she has gotten rid of us; the pesky human species arrogantly abusing the privilege of being the dominant species causing imbalance and all of Earth's problems.....That is if we dont get rid of each other first! Both ultimately will be the same process at work because balance in this natural World, of which we are a part, and not somehow separate or 'sacred', is, in essence, based on polarity. Evolution; natural selection through the survival of the fittest, works through opposition, competition and conflict and not, sadly, through harmony. It is built into the system, it is programmed into the very psyche of all life, the very psyche of this intelligent Earth.

" natural selection through the survival of the fittest, works through opposition, competition and conflict and not, sadly, through harmony."

You are making the classic schoolboy mistake about evolutionary theory. It is NOT opposition, you really need to familiarise yourself with what survival of the "fittest" actually meant to Darwin and Wallace....(Darwin didn't even coin the phrase) it is a massively misunderstood expression...in Victorian types "fit" meant "most suitable not "healthiest" or "strongest" as it does today.

Since Darwin and Wallace our understanding of evolution has continued to ex[end and you seem still clinging to Victorian misinterpretations of the original

How can I be clinging to the Victorian meaning of 'fit', if Ive misunderstood it? But the phrase has continued to be used because it is mostly appropriate.

Actually I dont disagree with most of what you say and Im well aware of the complexity of evolutionary theory that Dawkins et. al. have tried to explain and that survival can often depend on adaptation and cooperation and does not always depend on physical health and/or physical strength.. But very often it does! Just watch any wildlife documentary with the vicious competition for food resources and where it is the dominant male that fights and earns the right to mate and pass on it's genes. Just look out of your garden windows and see the sparrows and Robins scrapping in the Spring. Just watch male mallard ducks viciously gang raping females on your local park pond. Look at the wars that have been fought and are still being fought today, and the atrocities than we commit on each other. The veneer of civilisation is very thin and it seems that the animal in us readily emerges from not far beneath the surface. I would argue that today Capitalism functions very similarly to the 'law of the jungle' where the economically, politically, and militarilly fittest survive.

You are right to question 'opposition' as that is purely my own sincerely held belief on how things work gleaned from academic study of Chinese religion and philosophy, and my observations of life. You might have guessed it is the ancient 'Yin and Yang' theory which is the most accurate description I have ever come across for simply describing how the World works: Polarity and opposition, and one thing cannot exist without its opposite, and relative changes between the two: Male/female, Winter/Summer, Night/Day, North/South, Good/Bad, Beautiful/ugly, Hot/cold, etc. The world in all its colour can be reduced to a black and white photograph. When applied to human psychology, I think it explains why we so easily take opposing views on so many things. If I say 'black' you will say 'white', we discuss, argue, maybe fight and come to a resolution. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Classic 'Debate' is taught and based on conflicting arguments. Just look at how many parliaments work. One party battling another. Violence actually breaks out in some. You will not see a clearer equivalent to animal behaviour than the weekly 'Question time' in the UK Parliament...lol. Conservative/Labour, Republican/Democrat, Catholic/Prostestant, Sunni/Shia, etc. Most religions and ideologies are subject to ridiculous numbers of ongoing conflicts and schisms which have so often caused violence and wars. We are the dominant species on Earth and nothing can prey on us so I believe that nature has psychologically programmed us to disagreement, conflict and to fight each other at any level she can devise so that the 'fittest' of us survive. I think it also explains why racism is so common even in seemingly intelligent and enlightened people. It explains such horrors as the 'Holocaust' and It has recently reared its ugly head in this respect with the European refugee crisis. Please be clear. I am not racist and in no way am I saying that it is right to be. I am purely making the observation that nature has programmed most of us to be instinctively racist in her cold and heartless desire for conflict and for the 'fittest' of us to survive. There is no right or wrong in nature. It is just the way things are.

Edited January 23, 2016 by SunsetT

[cumgranosalum]

"We do not condone this sort of behavior with the tigers and this situation is being dealt with. This incident is not a frequent occurrence.

Imho, where there is smoke, there is fire.

The unfortunate problem with animal 'sanctuaries' are that animals are kept out of their natural habitat. Why are they kept out of their habitat? How many 'wild animals' have you seen in Thai forests outside of reserves? If allowed to roam, they would be hunted to extinction within a few years like every other animal that use to be plentiful in the once vast expanse of Thai forests that use to exist within the memories of some of the oldest citizens of Thailand. Within reserves, they are never the same. What's the solution? The UN and elites want to bottle up the human population in densely packed cities under the moniker of 'sustainable development', move most of the populace out of rural areas, corporatize farming, allow the rural infrastructure to crumble, allow the forests and wild areas to become 'wild' again, and decrease the population of humans to a manageable 500 million souls.

In an absurd way, I can understand their logic: the greater good of the planet and other wild species other than man; on the other hand, that "Georgia Guide Stones' model simply puts the animals in the sanctuaries back into the wild, and takes the humans out of the wild and puts them in sanctuaries. So instead of animal handlers punching the animals they care for, the elites become, as Orwell aptly put, "[A] boot stamping on a human face - forever."

I don't see a solution. Well, shy of letting the nuclear genie out of the bottle, an X-50 class solar flare, or a large comet/asteroid hit. Back to square one and let God reconsider his grand plan for a human species, some whom are the epitome of good, some whom are the epitome of bad, and most whom are mired in an existence of hedonistic, apathetic mediocrity.

Planet Earth will soon recover once she has gotten rid of us; the pesky human species arrogantly abusing the privilege of being the dominant species causing imbalance and all of Earth's problems.....That is if we dont get rid of each other first! Both ultimately will be the same process at work because balance in this natural World, of which we are a part, and not somehow separate or 'sacred', is, in essence, based on polarity. Evolution; natural selection through the survival of the fittest, works through opposition, competition and conflict and not, sadly, through harmony. It is built into the system, it is programmed into the very psyche of all life, the very psyche of this intelligent Earth.

" natural selection through the survival of the fittest, works through opposition, competition and conflict and not, sadly, through harmony."

You are making the classic schoolboy mistake about evolutionary theory. It is NOT opposition, you really need to familiarise yourself with what survival of the "fittest" actually meant to Darwin and Wallace....(Darwin didn't even coin the phrase) it is a massively misunderstood expression...in Victorian types "fit" meant "most suitable not "healthiest" or "strongest" as it does today.

Since Darwin and Wallace our understanding of evolution has continued to ex[end and you seem still clinging to Victorian misinterpretations of the original

How can I be clinging to the Victorian meaning of 'fit', if Ive misunderstood it? But the phrase has continued to be used because it is mostly appropriate.

Actually I dont disagree with most of what you say and Im well aware of the complexity of evolutionary theory that Dawkins et. al. have tried to explain and that survival can often depend on adaptation and cooperation and does not always depend on physical health and/or physical strength.. But very often it does! Just watch any wildlife documentary with the vicious competition for food resources and where it is the dominant male that fights and earns the right to mate and pass on it's genes. Just look out of your garden windows and see the sparrows and Robins scrapping in the Spring. Just watch male mallard ducks viciously gang raping females on your local park pond. Look at the wars that have been fought and are still being fought today, and the atrocities than we commit on each other. The veneer of civilisation is very thin and it seems that the animal in us readily emerges from not far beneath the surface. I would argue that today Capitalism functions very similarly to the 'law of the jungle' where the economically, politically, and militarilly fittest survive.

You are right to question 'opposition' as that is purely my own sincerely held belief on how things work gleaned from academic study of Chinese religion and philosophy, and my observations of life. You might have guessed it is the ancient 'Yin and Yang' theory which is the most accurate description I have ever come across for simply describing how the World works: Polarity and opposition, and one thing cannot exist without its opposite, and relative changes between the two: Male/female, Winter/Summer, Night/Day, North/South, Good/Bad, Beautiful/ugly, Hot/cold, etc. The world in all its colour can be reduced to a black and white photograph. When applied to human psychology, I think it explains why we so easily take opposing views on so many things. If I say 'black' someone will say 'white', we discuss, argue, maybe fight and come to a resolution. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Classic 'Debate' is taught and based on conflicting arguments. Just look at how many parliaments work. One party battling another. Violence actually breaks out in some. You will not see a clearer equivalent to animal behaviour than the weekly 'Question time' in the UK Parliament...lol. Conservative/Labour, Republican/Democrat, Catholic/Prostestant, Sunni/Shia, etc. Most religions and ideaoligies, are subject to ridiculous numbers of ongoing conflicts and schisms which have so often caused violence and wars. We are the dominant species on Earth and nothing can prey on us. So I believe nature has psychologically programmed us to disagree and fight each other at any level she can devise so that the 'fittest' of us survive. It explains why racism is so common often even in seemingly intelligent and enlightened people. It explains the horror of the 'Holocaust' and It has recently reared its ugly head in this respect with the European refugee crisis. I am not racist and Im in no way am I saying that it is right to be. I am purely making the observation that nature has programmed most of us to be instinctively racist in her cold and heartless desire for conflict and for the 'fittest' genes to survive. There is no right or wrong in nature. It is just the way things are....Enough.

pity you have a distorted understanding of how they are, though.

as for the phrase "Survival of the fittest" it is a quotation from a Victorian economist ........... after reading Darwin. The more accurate term is "natural selection", but like so many soundbites they tend to last and their usage and meaning permutes........ it's how language works.

like "pathetic", "money is the root of all evil" "110 percent proof" "theirs but to do or die" all of which have either changed meaning or wordage over the years but are still commonly in use

It is only with at least a basic understanding of conservation and evolutionary theory etc that one can appreciate the potential for damge that the tiger temple has, as it flouts just about all the laws of natural science.

Edited January 23, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[SunsetT]

pity you have a distorted understanding of how they are, though.

Haha! You are proving my point!

How can we understand anything on this scale.

We can only try.

I dont know anything.

Im just offering my humble opinion.

[Dumbastheycome]

In light of the historical and ongoing issues about this enterprise anyone or any organization complicit in encouraging tourists to support it are deficit in ethic and intellect !

[Boycie]

Visited the place years ago with a Thai friend and her son. Animals abusing other animals, I went out for a smoke when the show was on.

Show, what show? I thought years ago the tigers were chained up in the canyon whilst they were having their afternoon nap and the selfie tourists would come along and get their pics.

Was it Kanchanaburi Tiger Temple that you visited?

[Trouble]

There have been irregularities at this place for years. Why doesn't the government just microchip all of them, inspect the facility using an international panel (one that won't take the brown envelops) and see that it is operated properly. I do not know where the tigers come from, but let's face it, they would have been killed off by now were they not a tourist attraction. While the treatment seems inappropriate and not something that should be done, in all honesty the worker's punch did not appear to phase the tiger at all and probably was not that much of a punch for the tiger. I actually it appears that the handlers are quite immature (see the part of the video where the one worker put's the stick into the ground trying to rile the tiger) and need some serious training. Hopefully this will bring further attention to the plight of these animals and maybe tourist pressure will force the little general to do something since he has total authority over everything in Thailand. The buck stops with him in this government.

[mickyboy]

no silly tourist have yr picture taken with a wild animal so you can show your friends and family what a fool i am

[cumgranosalum]

There have been irregularities at this place for years. Why doesn't the government just microchip all of them, inspect the facility using an international panel (one that won't take the brown envelops) and see that it is operated properly. I do not know where the tigers come from, but let's face it, they would have been killed off by now were they not a tourist attraction. While the treatment seems inappropriate and not something that should be done, in all honesty the worker's punch did not appear to phase the tiger at all and probably was not that much of a punch for the tiger. I actually it appears that the handlers are quite immature (see the part of the video where the one worker put's the stick into the ground trying to rile the tiger) and need some serious training. Hopefully this will bring further attention to the plight of these animals and maybe tourist pressure will force the little general to do something since he has total authority over everything in Thailand. The buck stops with him in this government.

" I do not know where the tigers come from, but let's face it, they would have been killed off by now were they not a tourist attraction."

Most of the tigers at the temple were bred there, the monks need an endless supply of Tiger Cubs to keep the public interest. Their breeding program is illegal.

It is now alleged that some tigers have been killed off!

Earlier, any animals caught in the wild would still be there is poachers didn't have a ready buyer in the form of people like the temple

[luckyman]

It amazes me that there are still people who defend the temple and its bogus claims.

Exactly !!!

Edwin Wieck of WFT ( wildlife friends foundation thailand) has been trying to shut them down and got arrested, there is so much money flowing into that temple, millions each month.

[cumgranosalum]

It amazes me that there are still people who defend the temple and its bogus claims.

Exactly !!!

Edwin Wieck of WFT ( wildlife friends foundation thailand) has been trying to shut them down and got arrested, there is so much money flowing into that temple, millions each month.

WFFT are involved in logistical support for the removal of the tigers. They were "sued" by the temple but the temple withdrew their action. He has also suffered raids by the authorities on his animal welfare sanctuary after exposing elephant poaching in Kaeng Krachan.

Repeated attempts to remove tigers from the temple have been thawted and various rulings by the authoritities hae been ignored or swept under the carpet - hence the "teflon temple"

All of this would indicate that there are very influential people in Thailand making lots of money out of various forms of wildlife exploitation. A high position in the dept of NP and Wildlife is a highly sort after posting.

The first complaints about the temple go back well over 10 years, in fact to its very inception. A combination of corruption and incredible naivity and ignorance by the western public has allowed this place not just to exist but expand exponentially year in year out. they now house about 150 tigers of indeterminate geneology and of no conservation value whatsoever.....a mess of their own making with the connivance and ignorance of the authorities and public.

as for income - the Nat Geo suggests "The enterprise is estimated to generate income equivalent to three million dollars a year."

Edited January 24, 2016 by cumgranosalum