Thread: Temple Tiger row ends with all tigers allowed to stay but with conditions

Row over the evacuation of tigers at the Tiger Temple was temporarily resolved after the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) agreed with conditions to allow the temple to keep the tigers.

Conditions include that the temple must not use the tigers for commercial purposes, and inbreeding among the tiger population is prohibited as this is a main reason that cause health problems of the tigers.

The agreement was reached after the department’s team of officials who included veterinarians went to Wat Pa Luangta Maha Bua or commonly known as Tiger Temple to remove all its tiger population to new homes in Ratchaburi province.

However when officials arrived at the temple Friday morning, they softened the tough stance from planned removal to counting the tigers instead to make sure how many are actually in the temple sanctuary.

A DNP official said they came to conduct head counts to see whether the numbers match what they have or not, or are the same tigers in the DNP records.

He said the department had been told there should be 147 tigers at the temple.

When asked whether the department would consider seizing the animals, he said the department had that idea but in actions so far it has not reached that process yet.

More here: Temple Tiger row ends with all tigers allowed to stay but with conditions - Thai PBS English News

Previous stories: https://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...emple-new.html (Effort to remove tigers from Tiger Temple to new homes continues)

from the full article:

The temple must not collect fees from tourists visiting the temple or for any other commercial purposes

My guess is it won't take long for those running this temple menagarie to come up with new ways to squeeze lots of bahts from tourists.

Should have left the tigers be [in their wild state] from the start.

Closing the barn doors after the horses have bolted.

^^My guess is that your guess is quite right.

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Should have left the tigers be [in their wild state] from the start.

which would have led to their extinction. You know what Tigers in the wild are called? Chinese money...

150 tigers in a Wat. What's a Tiger eat in a normal days consumption 3-4 kilos of red meat per tiger? Cost for keeping them fed alone accounts for the charges to tourists. Not like most Thai's would fork out 600 baht to pet one.

They look healthy, well kept, and safe from poachers.

I never would go to this place or any other animal show, but I suppose it serves its purpose...

So the BIB backed down from the monks, maybe they're Shaolin trained double hard tiger tough bastards

The whole point of the sanctuary was that it should generate cash. It was a business operated by monks. But, as it has now unfolded, the authorities have found nowhere else to put the 147 beasts and short of killing them they no other choice but to leave the animals where they are.

Typical Thai situation really. Tolerate a piss poor problem until it becomes a fuck- up no one can resolve without a bigger headache.

Best let sleeping tigers lie.

Originally Posted by misskit

However when officials arrived at the temple Friday morning, they softened the tough stance from planned removal to counting the tigers instead to make sure how many are actually in the temple sanctuary.

This was just after they'd told the head monk they wanted the tigers, he'd given a shrug and said "help yourself" before wandering off for a bong.

At that point Sgt Somchai had turned to patrolman Somkit and said
"Go on then.. what are you waiting for?"

"Oh fck it, let's just count them"

Originally Posted by misskit

The agreement was reached after the department’s team of officials who included veterinarians went to Wat Pa Luangta Maha Bua or commonly known as Tiger Temple to remove all its tiger population to new homes in Ratchaburi province.

However when officials arrived at the temple Friday morning, they softened the tough stance from planned removal to counting the money they were paid off with, which took some time.

Fixed.

Tiger temple to give up big cats

KANCHANABURI — Wildlife officials will remove 50 tigers from the infamous Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province tomorrow, according to animal rights activists, who have long accused the facility of being complicit in trafficking the very animals it claims to protect.

Nine months after abandoning a previous effort to remove about 100 tigers from the facility, wildlife officials reportedly met with temple abbot Phra Wisutthisannen on Tuesday to discuss the welfare of the animals.

The head of one organization campaigning for the tigers to be removed said the first 50 would be removed Wednesday.

“Department of National Parks to remove first 50 tigers from #TigerTemple starting tomorrow,” Edwin Wiek, the founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, tweeted late Tuesday afternoon. “Average of 10 tigers a day planned.”

Reached for contact, staff at the Tiger Temple declined to comment. Regional wildlife official Yanyong Lekavichit declined to comment and referred a reporter to the wildlife foundation.

Wildlife Friends Foundation announced Sunday that this week’s talks would likely result in “the removal of at least 75 tigers from the temple to a government rescue center” as soon as Thursday.

The current negotiations mark the most recent effort to either remove the tigers or shut down the temple, where tourists pay to pose for photographs with the wild animals.

In February, a raid on the temple was conducted by wildlife officials, police, soldiers and veterinarians. Temple staff refused to unlock doors and cages.

The raid came after a former veterinarian accused the temple of selling at least three of its big cats. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Preservation said it would rescue all wildlife from the temple and move them into government facilities in Ratchaburi province.

In May the temple fielded its monks to blockade trucks sent to remove moon bears it was keeping illegally. Officials eventually used a crane to rescue six bears from over a compound wall.

The controversial temple, also called Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno, is located in the Saiyok district of Kanchanaburi province.

Phra Visuthisaradhera or “Luangta Chan,” the abbot of the temple, was reportedly mauled by one tiger and sent to hospital in May. The monk’s doctor told AFP it was an accident.

?Tiger Temple? to Give Up Big Cats, Activist Says

Temple Refuses to Release Tigers, Again

KANCHANABURI — The latest effort by wildlife authorities to remove tigers from a commercial temple west of Bangkok in Kanchanaburi province was stalled yet again today.

A day after wildlife protection officials reportedly moved to seize more than 100 tigers from Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno, the short-lived operation was postponed to Monday, pending “negotiation” with the influential temple abbot, a prominent animal rights activist said.

“The abbot said he wants to inspect the facility to accommodate the tigers first,” said Edwin Wiek, founder of Wildlife Friends of Thailand, of the government animal center to which the tigers would be moved.

Sounding exasperated, Wiek added, “He’s been delaying this again and again.”

Known to foreign tourists as the “Tiger Temple,” Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno, a monastery in Kanchanaburi province, has long been accused by animal rights activists of mistreating the tigers for commercial gain and even trafficking some of its animals.

Wiek told Khaosod English that his organization has been calling on the authorities to remove the tigers from the temple because of the increasingly crowded condition.

“The problem is overbreeding,” Wiek said today over the phone. “They have too many cubs. Right now there are over 150 tigers. Some are missing, too. The national park must take action.”

Since it began operating about 20 years ago, the went from a few big cats and breeding them prolifically. It promotes itself as an spiritual conservation center protecting the animals. Tourists pay for the opportunity to pose for photographs with the tigers inside the temple, which even publishes its own magazine.

According to Wiek, the temple’s operations violate CITES, an international treaty on wildlife to which Thailand is a signatory, which bans commercial breeding of protected wild animals such as tigers. The Tiger Temple currently charges for entry.

Last year, Thailand faced trade sanctions for failing to comply with its obligations under CITES for its ivory trade.

To comply with CITES, Wiek said the authorities must also have Tiger Temple administrators sign an agreement not to breed more tigers. “Otherwise, the rest of the tigers would just breed, and things will be the same again.”

Representatives of the temple could not be reached for comment. A reporter’s calls to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation were referred to Wiek’s organization.

All previous attempts to remove the tigers from Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno have failed, including one in May last year. Wiek believes this is due to the influence wielded by the temple and its abbot, Phra Wisutthisarathen.

The activist said he heard that local wildlife authorities embarked on this most recent operation because they were ordered to do so by the new Minister of Natural Resource and Environment, Gen. Surasak Karnjanarat, who took office in August.

Asked whether he believes the operation next Monday will succeed in removing the tigers, Wiek was skeptical but determined.

“Well, this is Thailand. Anything can happen. But we insist the tigers must go. They must go next Monday, or the next Monday, or in the next life,” he said.

Last April, pressure for the authorities to inspect and shut down the Tiger Temple was heightened after a former veterinarian alleged it had sold at least three of its big cats to buyers in Laos.

Asked about this allegation, Wiek insisted his organization has evidence to prove the transaction, but added that he’s not aware of any new trafficking between the temple and alleged buyers since the news came up in April.

“The temple probably knows it’s being watched from all sides,” he said.

Temple Refuses to Release Tigers, Again

Tiger temple to sue National Geographic over damning report

Days after National Geographic published an article accusing the infamous Tiger Temple in western Thailand of trafficking some of its 147 tigers, a lawyer for the temple announced that he’s preparing a libel suit against the news agency.

Responding to the Jan. 21 article, "Tiger Temple Accused of Supplying Black Market,” the temple spokesman admitted Monday his organization is breaking the law by keeping its tigers there but said the article was wrong to assert that money changed hands with a Laotian breeder, as alleged in the report.

“We are about to press charges. I’ve already read the article,” lawyer Saiyood Pengboonchoo said on behalf of the temple, which is formally known as Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno in an interview with Khaosod English today.

As to the latest effort by wildlife officials to remove the temple’s tigers, most recently delayed to today, Saiyood said the temple did not feel the tigers were ready to go.

According to National Geographic, the Tiger Temple authorized a trade of tigers with a commercial breeder in Laos in 2004. The article went on to note that cross-border commerce in live tigers is outlawed under CITES, an international treaty on wild animals to which Thailand is a signatory.

Although Saiyood confirmed that the temple did swap some tigers with a farm in Laos, it was not done for profit.

“It’s defamation. It’s a distortion of facts,” Saiyood said. “We did swap them once. We asked for an exchange with Laos. But no money was involved. I insist that we didn’t buy or sell any tigers.”

He continued, “We did not break any laws. We did not violate CITES.”

The temple has long been dogged with allegations and accusations it mistreats and trafficks the very animals it says it protects. In late 2014 a former temple veterinarian accused the temple of selling three big cats. The temple denied it and put up fierce resistance to wildlife officials to investigate.

Saiyood said the monk who gave the interview to National Geographic, Jakkrit Apisuthipangsakul, felt “very disappointed” by the article and would name himself as a plaintiff in the upcoming libel suit. He said Jakkrit will file the charge to police within this week.

Defamation is both a civil and criminal offense in Thailand, where the law is defined as causing “damage to the reputation” of any individual.

Saiyood also disputed assertions in the National Geographic article that temple staff secreted tigers out and sold them.

“There’s no such thing. The tigers are all here,” Saiyood said. “If we want to sell them, we would have just given them to the Department of National Parks already. Wouldn’t it be better for us? We would be able to save hundreds of thousands of baht in costs of keeping the tigers.”

National Geographic estimates the temple brings in about 100 million baht in annual revenues.

Animals First, Law Second

Breeding tigers without permission, possessing tigers without permission and profiting from those tigers are all considered illegal under the 1992 Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act. Those offenses are punishable by up to three years, one year or two years in prison, respectively.

Saiyood acknowledged that the temple’s insistence on keeping the tigers is against the law, but said the temple doesn’t want to let them go out of concern for their wellbeing.

“We don’t know that if the tigers are removed, will they be sad? Will they die?” Saiyood said. “Concerning the laws, we fully cooperate with the authorities, but only on the basis of the animals’ safety. This is our primary concern. The laws are secondary. But of course, directors and administrators [of wildlife agencies] have to say they have to follow the laws. I understand them.”

His comment came a week after the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation renewed its on-again-off-again effort to remove the tigers. All previous attempts have failed, including an operation in April 2015, during which the temple at one point fielded monks and foreign volunteers to blockade the property.

The latest effort also appears to hit the same dead end. Saiyood said wildlife officials visited the temple Tuesday through Thursday to negotiate the tigers’ departure. According to Saiyood, the temple asked them not to remove the animals because they may not be in good condition to move.

“They can’t move the tigers, because they can’t drug them. The weather has been rapidly changing,” Saiyood said, explaining that the hot and cold temperatures in recent days may make the tigers ill.

Asked when the tigers would be ready to go, Saiyood said he’s not sure. He also said the temple is applying for a permit to open a commercial zoo, like the one in Sriracha, where tigers are legally maintained.

“We are under the process to bring the tigers into the proper system, and we are also taking care of the tigers for now. We are doing both things simultaneously,” Saiyood said.

National Heritage

He also said the authorities should think of the acclaim that the temple and its tigers have brought to Thailand:

“Tigers are a part of our national heritage,” he said. “Even though what we are doing is illegal, the tigers made us famous. They are the face and fame of our country. People around the world may not know much about Kanchanaburi, but if you mention tiger temple, they instantly recognize it.”

But a prominent animal rights activist doesn’t share Saiyood’s opinion.

“This is a big issue. It’s already been concluded that they not only violated Thai law, but also international law, the CITES,” said Edwin Wiek, founder of Wildlife Friends of Thailand, an organization that has called on authorities to remove the tigers from the temple.

While Saiyood prepares his libel case against National Geographic, Wiek said his organization plans to file a complaint with local police in Kanchanaburi province for not taking action against the Tiger Temple.

“It’s a clear violation of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act,” Wiek said Monday. “If police are not handling this, they are guilty of negligence of duty. We will send a formal letter to police, to urge them to take action. They cannot let this issue off the hook.”

Wiek did not say when his organization will file the letter.

?Tiger Temple? to Sue NatGeo Over Damning Report

5 Big Cats Removed Overnight from 'Tiger Temple'


Monks and volunteers in April 2015 block government vehicles from leaving the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province.

After years of frustrated attempts, wildlife officials last night removed five tigers from the infamous Tiger Temple, a religious site that also operates an illegal commercial tourism business that has won the ire of animal rights activists.

The operation, in which officials from the Department of Wildlife spirited away five tigers during the night, was either long-delayed intervention by committed officials or a temporary measure approved by temple administrators, depending on who tells the story.

“We kept the news secret because we didn’t want reporters to be there,” temple lawyer Saiyood Pengboonchoo said Friday. “Otherwise, people would come out to protest, and officials would have a hard time working. They removed five tigers, as negotiated … We kept it a big secret. We didn’t even tell our own staff. Only five people in the temple knew about it.”

However the move was hailed as a victory and turning point by Edwin Wiek, founder of Wildlife Friends of Thailand, one of several organizations that have long campaigned against the temple’s commercial use of the tigers.

“This is a good beginning. It’s a victory,” Wiek said upon hearing about the tigers’ removal. “But the important thing is that they have to stop the breeding of tigers, too. Otherwise, now they removed five tigers, but five or six more cubs will be born.”

He said the five big cats are likely being kept at a state-owned wildlife shelter in the neighboring province of Ratchaburi.

Wiek was doubtful the temple was party to the operation, or that it was part of an elaborate plan that would see the big cats eventually returned to the temple.

The operation was said to be led by Adisorn Noochdumrong, deputy director of the Department of Wildlife. He could not be reached for comment. His secretary, Somkid Kiteuawiriya, said Adisorn was attending a summit in northeastern Thailand.

“He’s not here, so we don’t have any clue about it,” Somkid said, adding that he only learned about what happened from media reports.

Since word spread 10 days ago that wildlife officials would again try to wrest away the temple’s approximately 150 tigers, wildlife officials have been reluctant to discuss the “sensitive” issue and have referred reporters to Wiek, with whom they have collaborated.

The department’s previous efforts under successive leadership have all ended in failure, most recently in April 2015, when monks and volunteers at the temple put up stiff resistance to attempts to enter, inspect or remove any animals. The temple was also found to be illegally keeping several protected species of birds and bears.

Those thwarted attempts have come amid allegations of animal abuse and trafficking. Most recently, National Geographic on Jan. 22 published a damning report detailing an alleged “tiger swap” in which the temple sold several animals to a Laos breeding center. The temple says the exchange happened but no money changed hands and plans to sue the magazine.

Attorney Saiyood recently admitted the temple operates outside the law, which forbids keeping tigers without a permit, but said it does so in the best interest of the animals.

Enforcement or Collusion?

Of its agreement with officials, Saiyood said the temple expects to eventually get the tigers back.

He said the temple is preparing to win approval to keep them legally in a commercial zoo. Once a permit is granted, Saiyood said, the temple administration will simply buy the tigers back from the state.

“In our application, we ask for a quota to keep 120 tigers,” Saiyood said. “The department will have to let us keep the tigers. As for the tigers that they already took away, we will buy them back at auction. They don’t want to keep the tigers anyway. It’s very expensive. But they have to do this because it’s the law.”

In the meantime, the department is welcome to remove the tigers – up to an agreed-upon number of 70, he said.

According to the lawyer, the department will evaluate and monitor the five tigers’ condition at their shelter over the next 30-to-45 days before removing more from the temple.

“If they are normal, they will move to remove more. But they won’t take more than 70,” he said. “The rest they let us keep while we file for the zoo permit.”

He said the temple will apply Feb. 5 for the zoo permit and expects it to take up to 60 days to process, Saiyood said.

Wildlife Friends founder Wiek doesn’t believe the temple’s version of events. He’s confident the department will not grant a zoo permit.

“It’s all lies. They won’t get it,” he said. According to Wiek, the land plot bought by the temple has legal issues that would disqualified it from operating a zoo. Plus, he said, the temple would need additional permits from the Department of Religious Affairs in order to turn the temple into a commercial zoo.

He sees nothing wrong with the department’s slow-paced effort to remove the tigers, and praised the temple and the department for keeping the operation a secret to avoid interference.

“They can’t possibly take 10 or 20 tigers at once. They have to be cautious,” Wiek said. “They have to take care of the tigers and tranquilize them. It’s good that they remove only 5 tigers each time, because if a tiger dies in the department’s custody, they would be in big trouble.”

He said he’d like to see removal of tigers continue, every day.

5 Big Cats Removed Overnight from 'Tiger Temple'

Final move on Tiger Temple set for Monday

More than a thousand officials will descend on the Tiger Temple on Monday to begin relocating all of its tigers, as senior administrators warned of tough legal action against anyone who obstructed them.

Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation deputy director-general Adisorn Nuchdumrong said Sunday teams of officials would collect the remaining 137 tigers and take them to Pa Khao Son and Khao Prathap Chang wildlife breeding centres in Ratchaburi.

He urged monks and disciples at Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno to cooperate with the officials......

Final move on Tiger Temple set for Monday | Bangkok Post: news

The monks are worried about all the tourist dollars they will lose.
They don't give a rats about the animals.

Another Showdown as Tiger Temple Blocks 1,000 Wildlife Officers

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee
Khao Sod English

KANCHANABURI — Conflict was brewing once again at the Tiger Temple this morning when it refused to hand over its tigers to wildlife officials.

Over 1,000 national park officers arrived at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province at around 9am on Monday and as of noon were attempting to negotiate the animals’ removal.

Prattana Intawong, a veterinarian with activist group Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, said her crew has been waiting for the big cats at a veterinary hospital near the temple, known as Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno.

“The hospital is about 10 minutes from the temple,” she said. “The national parks department is now negotiating. We’re now just waiting for the result and order.”

Calls to temple lawyer Saiyood Pengboonchoo weren’t returned.

Another Showdown as Tiger Temple Blocks 1,000 Wildlife Officers

Officers Enter Tiger Temple to Begin Removing Tigers

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee
Khao Sod English

KANCHANABURI — After years of pushing back, the controversial Tiger Temple today said it is finally willing to give up all remaining 137 tigers it has kept illegally for commercial operations, according to a legal representative.

The announcement came after more than 1,000 officials descended on the temple Monday morning and, after being denied entry to temple, returned with a search warrant to remove the tigers, the largest effort by authorities in recent months to do so.

“They have a court warrant so we have to comply,” Tiger Temple lawyer Saiyood Pengboonchoo said by phone at around 4pm Monday, hours after the temple staff initially tried to block the officials from entering the compound in Kanchanaburi province.

more Officers Enter Tiger Temple to Begin Removing Tigers

Here's Edwin's article.

The beginning of the End?. - Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand

Originally Posted by Hans Mann

More than a thousand officials will descend on the Tiger Temple on Monday to begin relocating all of its tigers,

Originally Posted by misskit

Another Showdown as Tiger Temple Blocks 1,000 Wildlife Officers

wow, who could have predicted that would happen ?

Just blogged about 10 mins ago...

Tiger Temple Update - This morning at 06:00AM the DNP will continue the sedation and moving of the tigers from the tiger temple. A total of 7 tigers were moved yesterday and have arrived around 8PM at the centre of the government. To make it very clear and in reply to many questions asked on this page; There were a total of 137 tigers (at least) at the temple yesterday, so still 130 need to be moved. The tigers that were on the loose yesterday have now either been caught and moved out of the temple or moved to a safe area.
WFFT is seriously concerned about the wellbeing of the tigers for the (near) future, and will monitor their progress. A meeting with Thai NGO’s with the authorities will take place in the coming week where WFFT will offer serious that will hopefully be accepted. A group of almost a dozen Thai NGO’s will work together to find the best solution possible with the authorities.
We would like to make it very clear that we fully support the movement of the tigers for the following reasons;
1. The tiger temple has been implicated in illegal wildlife trafficking, with enough evidence presented to be convicted. This is about at least 3 tigers that have been taken from the temple and sold to wildlife traders in Thailand and Laos to end up as Chinese Traditional Medicine. Furthermore the temple has purchased illegally several wildlife specimen such as hornbills, bears and jackals. The jackals were after confiscation in February 2015 hidden en moved out by temple staff from the temple to an undisclosed location, not found until this date.
2. The temple has refused to stop the breeding and did not allow anyone including government officials to enter the temple and check on the tigers at all over the last 2 months. This was needed as more intelligence on illegal activities was received.
3. The temple refused to stop the shows with tourists, and did not hand over 60 more tigers to the government even though they had earlier agreed to this to obtain a zoo permit.
4. The temple’s lawyer had filed a administrative court case to demand payment of 147,444,000 baht or 4,3 million US$ from the government for the “care” they provided over the last 14 years.
The coming weeks and months will be challenging, with the huge task to care for a total of 147 tigers on top of all already confiscated protected and endangered wildlife. Besides the practical issues of providing proper care and enough space to all these animals we still see also a huge challenge in the criminal investigation into the dealings of the temple regarding the trade in tiger(parts) and illegal possession of other protected wildlife.
Many people are asking why confiscate the tigers? We ask , Should the temple be allowed to continue abusing the tigers?, using them as 'cash cows' whether that be through photos with tourists or the buttering of them to sell their body. The answer in no, we fully support the Thai authorities in upholding the law and saving the tigers.

You'd think they might have got the warrant together before assembling a thousand officials.

Despite the order, the removal process dragged. Reports on Twitter from wildlife NGO representatives present accused the monks of intentionally trying to thwart the operation by feeding the animals before they could be sedated - which poses safety risks to the animals - and even releasing several of the big cats in an enclosed canyon so they would be harder to catch.

Authorities prevail in Tiger Temple cat-and-mouse game | Bangkok Post: news

They've got cheek, asking the Gov for 147.4 Million Baht in compensation.

Tiger temple to sue National Geographic over damning report

Days after National Geographic published an article accusing the infamous Tiger Temple in western Thailand of trafficking some of its 147 tigers, a lawyer for the temple announced that he’s preparing a libel suit against the news agency.

Do they know they'd be going up against News International's legal team?

Good luck with that one.

and more

Forty tiger cubs have been found in a freezer at a Thai Buddhist temple accused of wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty.

Photos from inside Thailand's controversial Tiger Temple have shown rows of small tiger carcasses lined up on the ground, alongside a small bear, a set of deer horns and plastic bottles reportedly containing animal parts.

Tiger Temple raids: 40 dead cubs uncovered in freezer at popular Thai tourist attraction - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)