The temple, marketed as a sanctuary, has been accused of animal abuse, wildlife trafficking, and breeding tigers illegally.
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Police Col. Bandith Meungsukhum said Thursday that two temple staff members in the truck were arrested and charged with possession of illegal wildlife.
Mr Adisorn Noochdumrong, the deputy head of Thailand’s parks department, said it would file charges against the temple for keeping the carcasses without permission.
At least 40 dead tiger cubs have been found in a freezer at Thailand’s popular Tiger Temple, German news agency DPA reports.
The hate mail on social networking sites against the Buddhist monks and authorities managing Thailand’s famous Tiger Temple complex in Kanchanaburi province is increasing by the hour.
In recent years, the temple in Kanchanaburi province west of Bangkok, has become a tourist destination where visitors snapped selfies with bottle-fed cubs. The monks stated that the animals were not removed because of animal cruelty, and that any animals injured were hurt because of DNP officials’ mishandling.
A tiger at the temple.
Since Monday, authorities have moved 61 live tigers from the temple, leaving 76 still there.
It has been closed to the public since the raid.
Observers on Twitter claimed that the dead cubs appeared to have been killed very recently.
The discovery came as Thai wildlife rangers were removing adult tigers from the temple in an effort to shut down the attraction after receiving complaints that the temple was trafficking in endangered species.
Authorities say they don’t know why the cubs were kept but plan to investigate.
Tiger parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine. The so-called Tiger Temple was under investigation for suspected trafficking and abuse, Reuters reported.
For years the government has been seemingly powerless to resolve the issue, partly for fear of being seen to confront the clergy and also because officials readily admit they have nowhere else to put such a large number of tigers.
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The temple, officially known as Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, has been a stop on many tourists’ itineraries for decades. But the request was denied because the temple did not have proper resources to deal with the animals.
