HH-Kanchanaburi-Tiger Temple (1-2 days)

[redzonerocker]

norseman, maybe you saw just what the average tourist is supposed to see?
i would find it hard to believe that these wild animals would be friendly & tame enough to be able to mix with strangers without having some kind of discipline instilled or possibly a form of sedation. it is probable no doubt that they are possibly more accepting to the monks who feed & take care of them.
the bottom line is they are wild animals & their instinct is hunting & killing.

as for zoos in general, i find them awful places. the worst i visited was leipzig zoo just after the wall came down (about 1991). it was so bad, i was almost physically sick & had to leave after 10 mins.
wildlife parks are more acceptable like longleat. the animals have room to roam about like they are used to.

[Norseman]

You are maybe right RZR, I really don't know.
It's just that this friscodude was far too negative in comparison with my own impression of the site.
Sure I don't love the place, but the alternative is to kill the tigers, which in my view, is not a better option.

[DawnHRD]

Friscodude was not the author. The author was a female volunteer. He just has a widely read blog (I guess like Stickman here in Thailand) which he published her experiences on.

Norseman, my opinion is that tigers are killing machines. I do not mean that in a bad way - I love tigers. Nature has made them evolve into something large, fast & powerful, in order to hunt large prey. Their natural instinct is to avoid us humans, or in the case of a few 'rogue' tigers, kill us. I can just about get my head around the fact that love & care would make a tiger docile to one person - his carer. But all humans? No amount of love & care could remove that amount of natural instinct.

If the monks want to raise the money to make a true tiger sanctuary (as they claim to be doing), that's great, but the tigers should have minimal to no contact with humans to enable that goal. I've been to a gibbon sanctuary in Phuket & a moon bear sanctuary in China, where that was the goal & you were not allowed to touch the animals. The gibbons were confiscated from bars etc & the moon bears were ex bile bears. It was fantastic to see those projects & get involved in a little way, but at no time did we get the opportunity to have a photo cuddling a moon bear The point (in both cases) was to rehabilitate them & teach them the skills they needed to survive in a (controlled) wild situation.

Oh, just remembered, I've also been to an Orang Utang rehabilitation project in Sarawak - same thing.

I'm with you rzr, hate zoos (& animal circuses with a passion!)

[ozuncle]

My experience was positive.
The tigers looked very healthy. I have photos which confirm this.
I never saw a hoe! The monk had a staff and from memory the helpers had nothing.
They were Not tied by their neck in the quarry. They each had their rock which they laid on and were given a piece of fake skin to chew on. They did have collars.
The cages all seemed very clean to me.
The suggestion that they are drugged is a possibility but a couple of times they got excited when they spotted people moving about 100 meters away. The monk and helpers had to hold them and settle them down.
I never saw anything that resembled spraying anything into their mouths.

In summary I am glad I went and have some great photos but I wont go again.
It is only a matter of time before there is a major accident.

[bjarne]

Thank you all for your advice and opinions.
I definitely have to go there to see with own eyes.
I haven't been to a Zoo since Lisbon Zoo in 1973 where I could enjoy various pedigree dogs in cages of about 5 meter2.

I tend to agree a little with those of you with positive impressions from Tiger Temple.
In China the giant panda would be extinct without human interference, the Siberian Tiger likewise.
The question is: how to interfere?
Hopefully some good is coming out of this Tiger Temple "project"

About reporting to Authorities; I have no illusions of being heard, but you hear me, and perhaps, so will others. Thats enough.

Here's an idea: l'll be in HH from Jan 26 and one month on. Why don't we all meet poolside somewhere for a discussion and then hire a bus with destination Tiger Temple?

[redzonerocker]

I definitely have to go there to see with own eyes.

i agree that this is the only way to experience anything in life but it won't change my opinion that you will only see & experience the tourist viewpoint.
the original report from dawn's posting was made by a volunteer who was able to access areas of the temple not open to the general tourist, highlighting the behind the scenes conditions & methods of control over the tigers.
i'm sure it is a wonderful experience to be so close & to be photographed with these magnificent animals.
for me the report has taken the shine off of what would or could have been a terrific experience.
the final line from ozuncles posting should not be taken lightly.

[DawnHRD]

With Lev's permission, here is the link to the thread about the Tiger Temple in the other forum I mentioned. It has some good photos on it and some very plain speaking.

http://teakdoor.com/thailands-zoos-and- ... emple.html


And this is a link to someone who organises the tours (it is mentioned in the above thread & the post says that even this guy is not too impressed with the treatment of the animals)

http://www.tigertemplethailand.com

[redzonerocker]

yes dawn, some nice photos & some detailed information too.
although the tigers look healthy enough,it does confirm what i already thought. this project is really all about money making & not the welfare of the tigers.
i have to agree with the point made in the links & postings here, that there is an accident waiting to happen.