Wildlife authorities in Thailand have raided a Buddhist temple where tigers are kept, taking away three of the animals and vowing to confiscate scores more in response to global pressure over wildlife trafficking.
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Adisorn Noochdumrong, the deputy director of Thailand’s parks department, said: “Today we found tigers skins and amulets in a vehicle which was trying to leave a temple”, according to The Guardian.
In some parts of Asia – especially China – tiger remains are used in traditional medicine, even though the trade is illegal.
On Monday, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation teams started a week-long process of relocating 137 tigers, mostly Bengal tigers, amid allegations of illegal trafficking and animal mistreatment by the temple named Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno.
Officials on Wednesday also shifted another 12 tigers to the Khao Son and Khao Prathap Chang Wildlife breeding centres in Ratchaburi’s Chom Bung district, bringing the total animal count to 52, since Monday.
The tiny tiger cubs found after authorities stormed the temple’s secret stash were aged from birth to one week old.
Tiger pelts and wildlife including a lion and a threatened species of wild cattle were found inside the Tiger Temple today, according to Khaosod English.
“A number of the bodies are in a state of decay as they have been there over five years”, Chris Coots, a British volunteer at the temple, told BBC News.
The organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has described the temple as a “hell for animals” and urged tourists to stop visiting animal attractions at home and overseas.
Mr Noochdumrong said: “We don’t know why the temple made a decision to keep these cubs in the freezer”.
A Buddhist monastry, the temple takes paying tourists closer to the Tigers-letting them feed and bathe them at a price of $140. The monks have denied any wrongdoing, but the police and animal rights activists think the whole thing is super sketchy.
Thailand has always been a hub for the illicit trafficking of wildlife and forest products, including ivory.
“We have documented all the deaths from 2010 and have photographic evidence of them still being within the temple”.
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Since 2001, authorities have been in a clash with monks in the temple after allegations of wildlife trafficking and abuse had surfaced.
