SHUT DOWN THAILAND'S TIGER KINGDOM

An investigation into Tiger Temple, in Thailand, found that tigers were often beaten and deprived of food and water to reinforce the dominance of their trainers. If these cats need to be systematically separated and sentenced to a solitary life to keep them “domestic” then clearly it is not in the tiger’s nature to be calm and docile around human guests.

At around the age of two years old, the tigers are separated into a different living area, away from their younger counterparts. According to the chief customer relations officer, Pim, for the Chiang Mai branch of Tiger Kingdom, the tigers need to be separated at this age because otherwise they would be inclined to fight with one another. They wouldn’t want to encourage these animals to be wild or aggressive after all … The adolescent tigers are kept in their cages all day except when they are taken out for photos. The adult tigers are to be kept isolated in a cage, 24 hours a day – unless they are taken out for photos.

The only other alternative to living out their days in solitary confinement for these tigers is to become part of the breeding program and perpetuate this cruel cycle. There are many tourist traps that operate under the guise of a “sanctuary” or “rescue center” for wild animals, but there are many red flags that you can look out for to be sure you are not supporting this cruelty. If the sanctuary claims to work for the conservation of the species then there should be some guarantee that the animals will one day be released into the wild. Animals that have been raised by humans and “domesticated” to act friendly towards people can never be released back to their natural habitats. Not only is it highly unlikely that they would be able to survive, their comfort around humans can lead to incredibly dangerous encounters. Facilities that encourage you to take selfies with wild animals are also another HUGE red flag. This activity is solely aimed at exploiting the animals being held captive for profit. If you see trainers who carry sticks or weapons to “tame” the animals, this is also another sure sign that these animals have been trained to associate these sticks with pain and their sight will encourage their submissive behavior.