Updates On 7th Feb 2015

GOOD NEWS FOR WILDLIFE.

The notorious and controversial Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand, has been raided by police and soldiers after inspectors were denied entry.

Hundreds of protected birds have been removed but unfortunately 2 Asiatic golden jackals which had been seen the day before had disappeared when the temple was raided.

The estimated 100 tigers remain on site but have been impounded by the authorities.

The temple has become a huge tourist attraction over the years bringing obvious wealth to the head monk. Conservationists have long accused the temple of being involved in wildlife trafficking.

For 15 years, the Tiger Temple has billed itself as a sanctuary for tigers where tourists can touch and play with them. In 2008, Care for the Wild International released the results of a three-year study of the temple which concluded it trafficked the animals, abused them and did nothing meaningful to promote their conservation.

Despite this tourists flocked to the temple paying 1,000 Thai baht each (US$30) for the privilege of having a special photo taken with an obviously drugged tiger’s head in their laps.

Tiger attractions based on the tiger temple model have proliferated in Thailand, with the latest Tiger Kingdom opening in Phuket last year attracting large numbers of tourists. The park denies that the tigers are drugged.

The demand for tiger parts in Chinese medicine and the huge prices paid for them, plus the pressure on their natural habitat has seen the number of tigers in the wild fall to critical levels. It is doubtful whether any tigers still exist in the wild in Thailand.

Anybody who cares about wildlife and the welfare of these animals should boycott tourist attractions exploiting them. This includes elephant trekking and the popular habit of having photos taken with gibbons, slow lorises and other endangered species, which proliferate on the streets of Patong here in Phuket, and other tourist towns. Only when tourists stop paying for it will these practices end.

The current Thai Government is to be congratulated for its continued efforts to target animal abuse.

Read more here: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/02/05/more-100-tigers-seized-tiger-temple-raid?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BKK%20Newsletter

Source: https://www.facebook.com/SoiDogPageInEnglish/photos/a.137025..

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Soi Dog Foundation

Established in 2003 in Phuket, Thailand, Soi Dog is Southeast Asia's largest organisation helping stray animals. The Gill Dalley sanctuary in Phuket is home to over 1,600 animals. Soi Dog also has a treatment facility in Bangkok and responds to crisis situations throughout Thailand. The organisation is dedicated to implementing effective, sustainable solutions that reduce the suffering of dogs and cats in Asia, runs entirely on donations and works efficiently so all donations are used to help animals as effectively as possible.

The foundation is a registered not-for-profit organisation in Thailand, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France and Holland. It has a maximum 4-star rating with Charity Navigator, the largest and most-utilised independent non-profit evaluator in the United States, a platinum seal of transparency from Candid, the world’s largest source of non-profit information, a Top Rated award from Greatnonprofits and the Travelers’ Choice award from Tripadvisor.

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