Blogging About Critters Since 2007

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Are Thai Temple Tigers Drugged?

Some conservationists worry that the tigers living at a Buddhist Temple in Thailand are drugged, but the monks deny it. There's a big article at the ABC News site. Read it and tell us what you think.

Tourists visiting the Tiger Temple pay big money: anything from $15 just for entry, up to $50 for the very special photograph of a tiger with its head in your lap. The temple says the money goes toward caring for the tigers (each animal eats 13 pounds of meat a day) and construction of "Tiger Island," where it is hoped the tigers will soon move to live in larger enclosures.

....A recent report by wildlife organization, Care for the Wild (CWI)...{accuses} the temple of illegally trafficking and mistreating the tigers, allegations that the temple emphatically denies.

Robyn Shelby, a law student from California, has been volunteering at the temple for seven months and told ABC News, "I haven't seen anything that I don't agree with, and I am very big on animal rights. These tigers are really happy and you can see that in their interactions with people."

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