Teunchai Noochdumrong, the director of Thailand’s Wildlife Conservation Office, said she was optimistic that all of the temple’s tigers, estimated to total 137, would be removed by Friday, ending a long-running dispute between the temple and the government.
The temple, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, commonly called the Tiger Temple, began keeping and breeding tigers 15 years ago and has promoted itself as a spiritual sanctuary where wild animals and humans can peacefully coexist. For years, it has been accused of misconduct and trading in endangered animals. It has earned nearly $6 million a year from ticket sales, officials said.
The Wildlife Conservation Office this year ordered the temple to stop breeding tigers, selling tickets and allowing tourists to hand-feed the animals, but the temple ignored the orders. Ms. Teunchai has called the temple’s abbot “a criminal” and said the monks acted as though they were above the law.
The temple is also under investigation on suspicion of illegally trading in tigers after three of the animals vanished from the temple.
The government seized 10 tigers earlier this year, along with six Asian black bears and eight hornbills, before the temple won a temporary court order in February halting the removal of more tigers. At one point, monks and their supporters blocked the gate to the compound to prevent officials from taking the animals.
This week, after the agency obtained a court order directing the temple to hand over the tigers, the authorities removed seven tigers on Monday and 33 on Tuesday.
Three hundred agency staff members took part in the roundup, as well as police officers who were there to maintain order, Ms. Teunchai said.
Workers at the temple opened the tigers’ cages, allowing them to enter larger enclosures, making it harder to capture the remaining animals, Ms. Teunchai said.
“Tomorrow we will have hard work because they unlocked the cages of all the tigers,” she said.
Temple officials could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
The tigers are being moved to government wildlife centers around the country. – New York Times
