Learning Lessons: Tiger Temple, Thailand

 

Well, this is controversial. I am just as capable as anyone else of being naïve and making mistakes, and I think this counts as one of them.

When I visited Thailand some years ago, a tourist agent in Bangkok who was organising excursions for me suggested a visit to the Tiger Temple in the Kanchanaburi Province. She described it as a Buddhist temple which also acted as a sanctuary for tigers, largely funded by tourist visits. Attracted by the possibility of getting up close and personal with these magnificent creatures, I ventured to the temple for a day trip.

However, I did not bother to do my research before I visited. Admittedly, I didn’t have a smartphone back then, so instant access to the internet wasn’t easily available. Still, I can’t say I feel very bright about this, looking back. Surely I ought to have wondered why and how it was deemed acceptable for tourists to have such intimate contact with what are essentially wild animals? I think I allowed my excitement at the prospect to override my common sense, frankly. Had I checked properly, I would have discovered that the temple was subject to considerable controversy, with the monks there accused of engaging in illegal breeding practices, acting without proper licences, drugging, and trafficking animals. Eventually, and a few years after my visit, the authorities entered the temple in 2016 and removed the living tigers, also discovering dead cubs and frozen tiger body parts. According to subsequent reports, many of the tigers have sadly died in the years since they were ‘rescued’ from the temple. This may be due to inbreeding, or possibly the conditions the tigers were kept in after being taken from the temple, which may have allowed disease to spread. So, not exactly a happy ending.

I cannot deny it was an amazing experience, walking next to a tiger, washing and feeding an adolescent, and taking part in ‘playtime’, shaking rattles for the animals to jump at. But would I do it again? Do I think it was the right thing to do? No, and no. Looking at these pictures now gives me a real sense of disquiet. Clearly, I considered this was perfectly ok for the animals and that somehow I was doing good (whilst enjoying myself) by donating to support their ongoing welfare.

I think it’s important to recount these things, and admit to my mixed feelings, as detailed above. There is of course a pretty basic lesson here: to think before being persuaded that something is a good idea. Travel can bring amazing experiences, but it also has things to teach us, sometimes pertaining to our own behaviour as well as that of others.