We're going to Thailand sometime soon and want to visit the famous Thai Tiger Temple. It looks like a great place, and I've seen a lot of good reviews, but I've also seen a LOT of bad ones. Some people say that the tigers are drugged, and abused, and they have videos documenting this.
Has anybody visited there, and if you have, can you tell me about your experience? I'd love to visit that wonderful place, but I don't want to support an organization that is hurting animals.
I think that the above sites are rather superficial and belie the real, difficult and important issues for both elephants and tigers. These are both groups due for extinction. The habitat is disappearing. Tigers and elephants are headed for eventual extinction. One of their last remaining "jobs" - sad as it is to say, is to entertain people. This presents "situations" - that are borderline. Is it more humane to let the tigers go extinct or breed them as a tourist attraction - would it be a surprise that they are sedated? would you rather pet and lie down [ as the guy in the picture ] with a sedated tiger or with one that could cut your jugular with even one playful swipe.
People think that the elephant mahouts are cruel because they use a big metal hook to give commands and control the elephants. First, their skins are thicker than ours and second, how close do you really want to be to an uncontrolled ele - they have personalities - some are sweet, some are nasty - there is an ele conservatory in Lampang that is fun and if you pay for a few days you can stay there and work w/the elephants, learn to be a mahout - it may not seem "kind" but for the ele and tigers, becoming domesticated "show animals" might be their last oppt for survival.
I think you have to look at these realities and decide for yourself - neither situation is ideal. It might make you happy to pet a tiger - it might make you sad that they are on their last legs as a species. And you might not know quite how you would feel until you do it.
HI:)
I'm Thai and i was thinking about visiting the famous Thai Tiger Temple in this summer too, but when i saw your question asking if they're drugged and abused.im surely they're but you know for safety reasons and to earn money from tourists.i dont feel like going there anymore b/c i cnt stand those monks who make money out off poor tigers -sigh! lots of things that happened in Thailand made me want to go back and make changes but now i need to get my bachelor's degree first!;) a bit of my story but yea its kinda hard to see how they treated animals so badly
I live in the next province to where the Tiger Temple is located and been there. I guess you can say it is a good tourist attraction, and it's fun for the family and kids to go and pet the tigers. However, I myself do believe they are drugged. But is that animal abused? I guess in a way it is. It's up to the person visiting to decide for themselves. The money is used to support the temple. I just wish that people were more concern about the elephants in this country and how badly they are mistreated.
Go for yourself and see and make your own mind up All zoos anywhere in the world are cruel at the end of the day so if people are giving a good review then its not that bad
Before visiting you might want to consider 1) it is improper for monks to keep animals, 2) it is improper for monks to run a business, 3) read about illegal trade in endangered species by the temple as reported by members of WWF who did volunteer work there. After that you can consider if a cheap tourist experience is worth supporting what is going on there.
just ask your hotel to write down where you want to go and give it ,to a taxi driver and get a hotel card to show the taxi driver on the way back as few speak english and taxis are cheap in BKK but only use meter taxi if meter not on stop and get out or a rip off
Has anybody visited there, and if you have, can you tell me about your experience? I'd love to visit that wonderful place, but I don't want to support an organization that is hurting animals.
I think that the above sites are rather superficial and belie the real, difficult and important issues for both elephants and tigers. These are both groups due for extinction. The habitat is disappearing. Tigers and elephants are headed for eventual extinction. One of their last remaining "jobs" - sad as it is to say, is to entertain people. This presents "situations" - that are borderline. Is it more humane to let the tigers go extinct or breed them as a tourist attraction - would it be a surprise that they are sedated? would you rather pet and lie down [ as the guy in the picture ] with a sedated tiger or with one that could cut your jugular with even one playful swipe.
People think that the elephant mahouts are cruel because they use a big metal hook to give commands and control the elephants. First, their skins are thicker than ours and second, how close do you really want to be to an uncontrolled ele - they have personalities - some are sweet, some are nasty - there is an ele conservatory in Lampang that is fun and if you pay for a few days you can stay there and work w/the elephants, learn to be a mahout - it may not seem "kind" but for the ele and tigers, becoming domesticated "show animals" might be their last oppt for survival.
I think you have to look at these realities and decide for yourself - neither situation is ideal. It might make you happy to pet a tiger - it might make you sad that they are on their last legs as a species. And you might not know quite how you would feel until you do it.
HI:)
I'm Thai and i was thinking about visiting the famous Thai Tiger Temple in this summer too, but when i saw your question asking if they're drugged and abused.im surely they're but you know for safety reasons and to earn money from tourists.i dont feel like going there anymore b/c i cnt stand those monks who make money out off poor tigers -sigh! lots of things that happened in Thailand made me want to go back and make changes but now i need to get my bachelor's degree first!;) a bit of my story but yea its kinda hard to see how they treated animals so badly
I live in the next province to where the Tiger Temple is located and been there. I guess you can say it is a good tourist attraction, and it's fun for the family and kids to go and pet the tigers. However, I myself do believe they are drugged. But is that animal abused? I guess in a way it is. It's up to the person visiting to decide for themselves. The money is used to support the temple. I just wish that people were more concern about the elephants in this country and how badly they are mistreated.
Go for yourself and see and make your own mind up All zoos anywhere in the world are cruel at the end of the day so if people are giving a good review then its not that bad
Before visiting you might want to consider 1) it is improper for monks to keep animals, 2) it is improper for monks to run a business, 3) read about illegal trade in endangered species by the temple as reported by members of WWF who did volunteer work there. After that you can consider if a cheap tourist experience is worth supporting what is going on there.
just ask your hotel to write down where you want to go and give it ,to a taxi driver and get a hotel card to show the taxi driver on the way back as few speak english and taxis are cheap in BKK but only use meter taxi if meter not on stop and get out or a rip off