I’ve read so much about Tiger Temple, I’m not entirely sure what to believe. I don’t think one can form a full opinion on the issue unless they were there in person and witnessed the interactions between the tigers and monks live.
You don’t necessarily have to go somewhere to form an opinion. There’s the internet for that.
The interactions between the monks and the tigers don’t mean squat, especially since the direct interaction itself is enough to condemn the facility because of how irresponsible it is.
As someone who has been to Tiger Temple, let me tell you why you don’t need to travel there yourself to make an opinion.
Two years ago I traveled to Thailand with a tour group. One day a member of the group asked our tour leader if we would be able to visit Tiger Temple since we were in the area. At the time, I had never heard of Tiger Temple but it seemed so cool. Petting tigers? Playing with tigers?! What could be bad about that?
The temple its self doesn’t have much around it. Had I choose to sit the activity out, I would have been forced to sit on a hot bench or in a hot bus for a few hours. However, the thought of skipping didn’t even cross my mind. I was so excited! We were given a brief talk by english speaking volunteers about how safe the temple was and how they absolutely under no circumstances gave their animals any drugs. Awesome.
We walked a tiger down to the picture area. Literally walked. You are constantly surrounded by people grabbing your camera to get a good picture. I was struck by how calm the tiger was, not seeming to care at all about all the activity around him.
At the picture area there were probably around 20 tigers chained in various areas. Many of them were so “asleep” that they hardly moved at all the whole time I was there. No animal would sleep that deeply in the presence of hundred of stranger making lots of noise. Yet, check this guy out.
Not a care in the world. Suspicious? Yes. The last tiger I took a picture with was younger than the rest and very fidgety. Every sound seemed to freak him out. The worker told me that he was “beat up by his brother” and thats why he acted that way. After working in a veterinary hospital for two years, I say he was having a reaction to his drugs. Sometimes the drugs that are supposed to calm the animals down have the opposite reaction instead. Thats what I saw there.
That is not an animal that is at peace with his surroundings. That tiger was freaked. Notice that his chains had been removed. Incredibly unsafe for all involved.
Speaking of unsafe, Tiger Temple also lets you play with the adolescent tigers! You walk through there enclosure and back yourself up against a wall. The workers hand you a large stick with a bag tied to the end. Like this:
They then tell you to smack the water around the tiger to get it to play. The tigers had already had one play time before us so they weren’t interacting much. The workers didn’t like this much (I guess they wanted to make sure we got what we paid for?) so they would kick and poke the tigers. One lady even yanked on the tigers tail! These tigers were not on drugs. They were not calm. They are also huge. After we left, our tour guide told us about a person who had been mauled a week before in the pit. Here’s a look at how large the tigers are that we were “playing” with.
I have told people since that going in to that pit was probably one of the stupidest decisions I have made in my life. It isn’t safe for the humans or for the tigers.
My friend and I got in a conversation with one of the monks. None of the monks speak good english but this guy was trying his best. When asked if he liked the tigers he said “No. They are mean.” So, don’t think that the tigers and monks have some sort of bond. They don’t.
Also, remember that nothing can be killed on temple grounds. There were many signs telling us that killed meat was brought in daily to feed the tigers. It seemed to be mostly chicken and it didn’t smell too great. (Yes, I handled it. I was allowed to feed some to a young tiger.)
One last thing before I go. There were two sun bears at the temple. Here, check them out.
Notice anything a little off? Thats right, they’re huge. As in, morbidly obese. If the monks/workers can’t give the sun bears the proper nutrition and care that they need, why would you think they can do so for the tigers?
If I had known what I know now I would have never given a dime to Tiger Temple. But, I can’t take it back. I hope this gives people a little inside glimpse of life at the temple. It is not a good environment. It is not safe for you or for the animals. Do not go to tiger temple. Do not support them.
My god…Thank you, deeply for posting this. I have gone at length about the tigers, but I have never spent time on the sun bears. And I am sick. My stomach dropped and I feel like I could cry for these two. That bear in the back…jesus. I know that the tigers are given a horrendous diet(boiled chicken only) so it only makes sense that the sun bears would be subjected to the same thing, but I never imagined. I never would have thought that they would be in such horrendous condition. I am near speechless.
you guys i’m in a heated argument with tiger temple here on instagram
(contains tiger temple claiming that tigers will get sick when eating raw meat, tiger temple denying most of what they’re accused of doing, tiger temple claiming that they’re better than big cat rescue and more!)
Anonymous said: Hi! I just saw your answer to the post on Sea World where you talked about circus animals, but I am just curious as to why you want to become a zoo vet then? While I don't know a whole lot about circus animals, you say they don't get any enrichment, but certainly the copious training sessions they need in order to be able to do "tricks" would be mentally stimulating? I just wondered if you actually had any zoo experience because it seems like there's some stuff in that post that is misinformed.
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… (cont) It seems like anyone who’s had any real experience with a zoo would support Sea World. You may want to explore that area first before you are so sure you want to become a zoo vet…
Being abused into submission isn’t a form of enrichment… Their “copious training sessions” literally just comprise of the trainers physically abusing the animals until they do what the trainers want; I would be concerned for anyone who thinks that is mentally stimulating.
Being a zoo vet has nothing to do with not supporting exploitative facilities, though??? Does being a zoo vet make you automatically support all zoos? No. I only support responsible zoos, not exploitative and/or roadside zoos, and I will continue to do so until I grow old.
For approximately 4 months in the summer and fall of 2011, a Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) investigator worked as an animal caretaker at GW Exotic Animal Park (“GW”) in Wynnewood, Okla. where hundreds of animals – most of them dangerous exotics such as tigers, lions, bears, chimpanzees and other primates – are caged in barren conditions, bred to provide infant animals for public photo shoots and “play time” sessions and often cared for by workers who have little-to-no experience handling large carnivores or primates.
The HSUS investigation of GW revealed a commercial operation—that often seeks donations for “rescued” animals—that endangers both animals and the public along with possibly violating federal and state laws and regulations…
Not cute. Interspecies interaction between a wild cat and an animal of a different species would never happen at a responsible zoo (except cheetahs and dogs—the dogs are used to keep the cheetahs calm as they are naturally anxious animals). Only shitty, exploitative zoos that are looking for a little publicity pull crap like this, and they should never be supported. As cubs, they can still inflict nasty scratches or bites and diseases can be passed from one animal to the other, so they are kept apart. When the animals get older, big cats are too dangerous to keep with other species, so they are kept apart. Really at no point in a big cat’s life should they be in contact with other species—especially ones that wouldn’t stand a chance against an animal such as a tiger. Don’t support facilities that do this—it’s not cute.
When we first discovered that we could visit tiger “sanctuaries” in India and Thailand we were thrilled at the prospect of being able to spend some time with the beautiful beasts, petting their massive bodies, and experiencing the power they exude.
We decided to do more research on these “sanctuaries” before making the decision to visit one as we do with any place that claims to promote the well being and care of animals.
There was a 2 year investigation done by CWI (Care for the Wild International) that revealed disturbing animal abuse and tiger trafficking at the tiger temple in Kanchanaburi, one of Thailand’s premiere tourist destinations. We didn’t want to just take their word for it, so we decided to do our own investigating.
This isn’t “cute” or “funny,” it’s really irresponsible. Keeping big cats as “pets” is actually animal cruelty. They don’t belong in a house or backyard, and they maketerrible “pets.”
Tigers are dangerous, wild animals, not pets or “big kitty cats”. They are not domesticated, and they have thousands upon thousands of years of instincts in them. It’s extremely irresponsible to keep them as if they were ever to attack someone from acting upon its instincts, guess who would be punished? THE TIGER. Even in play, a tiger can injure or even kill you. Fun fact: a tiger can kill you with just a swipe of its paw.
Even if someone were to keep their “pet” tiger in the best enclosure possible and give it the best care (lmao like that would ever happen), it would still be irresponsible. “Pet” tigers come from the exotic animal trade where tigers are trafficked and farmed, resulting in poor breeding practises like breeding different subspecies. Genetically impure tigers (“mutts” or tigers of multiple subspecies, most commonly amur and bengal mixes) serve no conservation purpose. There are only about 3000 tigers left in the wild, so they need all the conservation efforts they can get. There are at least double the amount of tigers being kept in people’s backyard in America than there are wild tigers in Asia; don’t be that guy that glorifies this.
This tiger cub is probably being rehabilitated until it is strong/healthy enough or in a good enough mental state to go out in the wild. This cub may have lost it’s parents due to poaching and needed care.
This tiger cub is a pet.
It is not being rehabilitated to “go out in the wild.” This cub would be too habituated to humans and other animals for that to be possible.
This cub is not at a rescue facility (for those who may claim or “what if” it is). A rescue facility would not put a tiger cub to be hand-reared with a dog because diseases can be passed from one to the other.
This cub has lost its mother not to poaching, but to the exotic animal trade where they are stripped from their mothers at extremely young ages to be sold as “pets”.
This tiger cub is a pet. Please stop with the what ifs.
Two months ago I tried to kill myself, today, this happened. Probably the best experience of my life so far, so glad I fought so glad I hung on. Yeah I take regular medication and there are some days I still want to give up but life is fucking amazing, two months ago I never thought I’d make it to Thailand let alone be surrounded by these beautiful animals.
Hey there! I want to encourage you to not support facilities like Tiger Temple that have cub petting, pay-to-play schemes, or allow unprotected contact between their potentially dangerous animals and the public. These schemes as they are extremely cruel, exploitative, dangerous for both the animals (diseases can be spread to cubs as their immune systems are not fully developed) and the public, and do nothing for conservation. In fact, these pay-to-play schemes do just the opposite of conserve (despite what the handlers might have told you…if they told you the money goes to conservation, they lied). Also, Tiger Temple is highly involved in tiger trafficking and farming—hardly conservation.
Remember, no responsible facility allows unprotected contact between its potentially dangerous animals and the general public.
Please don’t take this as a personal attack aimed towards you; I am only trying to spread awareness on a terrible industry that goes on all around the world.
I’m getting kinda irritated with the amount of people that are messaging me about the tigers - I am one person, and me not going to see the tigers is going to do fuck all to stop the fact that they are there, the way I see it, I would much rather see them cared for by monks than skinned alive, stop reblogging my photo, stop sending me messages, I’m not encouraging animal abuse, far from it, I’m one of the most compassionate people you will ever meet, but one person in a city of hundreds of thousands of tourists actions will make no difference, and you messaging me won’t either, I appreciate you’re trying to raise awareness but stop messaging me
I’m truly sorry if people are harassing you because of the pictures; please, understand that was never my intent. I only wanted to let you know why these types of facilities are extremely detrimental and cruel.
The thing is, though, one person does, and can, make a difference. When one person knows, that’s one more person that is aware of the truth, and is an advocator for these cats. They really need all the help they can get.
The only sort of good thing the monks are doing is keeping the animals alive—and that’s even a stretch. The tigers are fed terrible diets (why they are always “sleeping” aka lethargic), physically abused, and mentally abused as they get no enrichment and their daily lives are being constantly harassed by the public. So, I wouldn’t really say they live much better than animals in the fur farming industry—at least those animals are put out of their misery.
I do hope you choose not to support these types of facilties again and that the “I’m only one person out of thousands” mindset leaves your head because one person really can make a difference. If you want to discuss this more privately, my inbox is always open. I can also answer any questions you may have.
All I can say is you’ve just completely contradicted yourself there - you’re against animal cruelty but you would rather an animal be skinned alive than be looked after by monks? Don’t bother replying to this you’re arrogant pretentious and despite you thinking you know everything you have absolutely no idea
Hmmm…that’s actually not what I said, but
That’s nice, just continue to completely ignore the actual topic here lmao
I never claim to know everything, but I actually do know quite a bit because, you know, I do research on such topics frequently…
I’ve done my part here; please do yours because it just sounds like you’re saying “I don’t care what you say or how many sources and factual information you bring out, I will pet tigers and contribute to their continued exploitation if I want to”
