The Thai Buddhist Temple that began as a sanctuary for tiger rescued from taxidermists and traders has become a tourist 'factory' where tigers live in appalling conditions with inadequate veterinary care - major travel companies are still offering Tiger Temple Tours.
Tourists are charged fees to visit the tigers and have their photos taken with them. The fees are supposed to be for the tigers' care and welfare. Yet instead of funding adequate accommodation for the tigers who live in small concrete cages or are chained in pits, the temple has funded a Thai monk, Haiti earthquake relief, Thai police and Thai soldiers.
Ask Flight Centre and Qantas to stop promoting Tiger Temple Tours until conditions and veterinary care for the tigers is improved.
We the undersigned are very concerned about the welfare of the Temple Tigers in Thailand.
Although the historically, the temple was a refuge for tigers rescued from taxidermists and traders, this is no longer the case.
The tigers now live in cramped conditions with inadequate veterinary care. Dozens of fully grown tigers are kept in small cages and never let out.
Where once the temple was a sanctuary, now nearly all of the temple's 72 tigers have been bred on site. There is only one veterinarian in attendance.
The tigers are a large money earner for the temple. Fees are charged for entry, photos with the tigers and sessions with tiger cubs. Petting sessions with the tiger cubs alone can earn the temple more than AU$1000 per day.
Yet little of this money goes to benefiting the tigers. The promised Tiger Island habitat commenced in 2003 is only 90 per cent finished, even though entrance fees were increased in 2005 to speed up constructions. Instead the temple is using at least some of these fund to make donations to causes as diverse and a Thai monk, to Thai police and Thai soldiers.
Please stop promoting Thai Tiger Temple tours until conditions for the tigers are improved.
