For those who do not know, Tiger Temples are tourist attractions in Thailand where visitors get closer than they ever thought possible to one of the world’s most majestic animals. The tigers they encounter at these so-called “attractions” are far from in their prime though. Instead, they are victims of organisations more interested in profits than the welfare of tigers. The tigers are also victims of the tourists and visitors who pay to see, touch, and take photos of them.
Tiger temples are places no one should visit, and that everyone should work towards getting closed forever.
They are called tiger temples because most of them are run by monks in real temples. The concept started under the cloak of conservation, with the monks giving sanctuary to tigers, particularly cubs that had lost their mothers. Whether by accident or design, it has grown into a multi-million dollar industry. That means tens of thousands of tourists visit these temples every year, paying an entrance fee and some additional charges to get up close to a tiger.
At best, the conservation efforts of tiger temples are flawed and misguided, and at worst they are deliberately cruel and criminal.
This is why we have put together the reasons why you should not visit a tiger temple or similar facility in Thailand or anywhere else:
The action taken by the government in Thailand to remove tigers from the facility known as the Tiger Temple is heartening, although it remains to be seen how successful it is in completely ending the existence of this particular facility, and the industry in general, for good. Previous attempts have been made, but they have all been thwarted, and the tiger temples have continued.
This brings us to the biggest problem with tiger temples. The reality is that people from all over the world visit these facilities, which in turn makes them hugely profitable operations. While the demand exists, people will find ways to exploit, harm, and kill tigers to make a profit.
In most modern countries, cruelty to animals is deemed unacceptable and is something that happens at the fringes of society. It is therefore time we all stopped dreaming of selfies with tigers, and maybe these barbaric tiger temples will eventually be closed for good.
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