The Tiger Temple has been exposed by both the Care for the Wild International organization and National Geographic. You can see some youTube video proof of what's going on by scrolling down this page. To read what is being written by people who have volunteered there or who have witnessed abuse or who simply care about how these magestic animals are being treated, check out the Thai Visa Forum and this Thorn Tree Forum thread.

List of important links

National Geographic News

Tiger Temple- Illegal Wildlife Trafficking, Animal Cruelty and Tourist Safety Risks

Download report here

CWI's press release - "Illegal tiger trade, cruelty and human health hazards at famous tourist destination":

"Black market tigers linked to Thai Temple, Reports says"
National Geographic News, 20 June 2008:

"Thai tiger temple a con job, says wildlife group"
The Straits Times, 21 June 2008:

There is a lot of information on this site. It also talks about the temple sueing a conservation group. When did Buddhist temples start sueing people?

"UK wildlife group slams Tiger Temple"
Bangkok Post, 27 June 2008:

"Danish tour operator boycotts well-known Thai tourist attraction"
ScandAsia Denmark, 7 July 2008:

"Danes join boycott of tiger temple"
The Nation, 11 July 2008

"New report says Thai Temple misleads visitors, abuses tigers"
Ethical Traveller, July 2008:

Spiegel article (in German):

Tigers malnourished, illegal breeding, kept in sweltering temperatures 40 degrees or more
“It’s a travesty” Thai Visa

Additionally, Animal Planet TV channel have now dropped their programme on the Temple.

Video footage of Tiger Abuse on YouTube

Tiger Temple/ Animal Cruelty

Tiger Temple/ Animal Cruelty, Moving with Force

Tiger Temple/ Aggressive Tigers

Tiger Temple/ Injured Tiger

Tiger Temple/ Restrained for Photo-taking

Tiger Temple/ Visitor Safety Risks

Tiger Temple/ Enclosures

From the Thai Visa forum Posted by Seville):

Something about the infamous tiger temple:

[Quote] After hearing many complaints about the place from tourists and volunteers (we have even had volunteers come here after they left the tiger temple sick after a few days of volunteering), we visited the tiger temple with representative of international animal welfare / wildlife conservation organisations earlier this year. Short summary:

There are animals locked up in tiny, un-enriched enclosures.

Tigers are showing signs of malnourishment, e.g. sight defects. They have been fed on dogfood and chicken - an incomplete diet for felines.

Tigers are reported to be beaten and abused into submission (negative-reinforcement techniques), in order that they can be handled and paraded in front of the abbott and the tourists.

The monks / handlers do not have any training or equipment for tranquilising animals and therefore have no form of emergency control if a tiger goes bezerk. They rely heavily on negative reinforcement to keep the tigers docile, but there is always the risk of an animal getting out of control.

Tigers are chained up outside for several hours without shade or drinking water so that tourists can take photos of themselves with the tigers.

The initial 4 tigers have rumoured to have actually been bought by the abbott from an illegal wildlife trader, mixed species have been interbred and there are now at least 17 tigers from a limited gene-pool. The conservation value of this is more than questionable.

The tigers have been officially confiscated by the government, as the abbott has no legal documentation or permit to keep them. However, as the government have no-where else to take care of the animals, they remain under the "care" of the Tiger Temple.

The abbott himself is not open to constructive criticism of his operation or support from organisations wishing to improve the welfare of the animals and safety of the staff/volunteers/tourists. [This is the most profound statement of them all. If the monks truly care about the welfare of the tigers, they would get legal and accept professional help]

Approximately 300 tourists pass through each day, each paying a mere $10 entrance fee plus extra fees for "special" photos with the tigers - i.e. approx. $20000 per week is cashed in, excluding further donations, and there is little sign that this is being spent on the welfare of the animals.

Apologies if this sounds harsh, but we like to be hard and to the point. If your aim is to volunteer for an organisation that has a high regard for the welfare of the animals, then we do not recommend the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi. If your aim is however to touch/pet wild animals, take your photo with them and generally exploit them for your own personal enjoyment and experience, then please do not consider applying to us as this behaviour is against our principles. For your information, we also have a campaign against wildlife exploitation in tourism, some information is on our website [unquote]