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01st Jun 2016

40 dead tiger cubs found in a freezer at Thailand’s Tiger Temple

They were discovered during an operation to liberate tigers from a tourist spot.

emma lahiffe

Warning: Graphic content to follow

The bodies of 40 tiger cubs have been found in a freezer at Tiger Temple, a popular tourist destination in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok.

According to Reuters, Thai police and wildlife authorities started a 1,000-person operation on Monday to remove all living tigers from the Buddhist temple.

The controversial tourist attraction was home to 137 tigers. Since Monday, 52 live tigers have been moved to a state-owned sanctuary.

Photos taken at the scene show the 40 cubs laid out at the temple:

The 40 dead tiger cubs were found in a freezer in a kitchen area, said Adisorn Nuchdamrong, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks.

Nuchdamrong continued: “They must be of some value for the temple to keep them. But for what is beyond me.”

The raid was sparked by complaints from visitors to the sanctuary that the animals appeared drugged during their visits and that the temple was trafficking in endangered species.

Kanchanaburi, Thailand - May 23, 2014:Unknown buddhist monk with a bengal tiger at the Tiger Temple on May 23, 2014 in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.The Temple was founded in 1994 as a forest temple and sanctuary for wild animals.

The temple is now being investigated for suspected links to animal trafficking and abuse.

The WWF has today issued a statement “applauding” the removal of the tigers, and encouraging the Thai government to permanently revoke their license to keep the animals.

Yowalak Thiarachow, Country Director, WWF-Thailand said:

“This week’s actions to remove the tigers from the Tiger Temple are long overdue and we strongly encourage DNP (the Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation) to make the removal of the tigers permanent.”
Tiger Temple has long been a popular stop-off for backpackers visiting Thailand, with visitors paying a fee to walk around with and take selfies with the animals.

Smiling beautiful woman with sunglasses, embraces a little tiger, Panthera Tigris, lying in Thailand. Concepts of courage, fun and dangerous.