lonelywombat
May 31st, 2016, 09:31
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/30/tigers-seized-thailand-buddhist-temple-wildlife-trafficking-claim
an interesting video on above site
Wildlife authorities in Thailand (http://www.theguardian.com/world/thailand) have raided a Buddhist temple where tigers are kept, taking away three of the animals and vowing to confiscate scores more in response to global pressure over wildlife trafficking.
The Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, has more than 100 tigers and has become a tourist destination where visitors take selfies with tigers and bottle-feed their cubs.
The temple promotes itself as a wildlife sanctuary, but in recent years it has been investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and animal abuse.
Wildlife (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/wildlife) activists have accused the temple’s monks of illegally breeding tigers, while some visitors have said the animals can appear drugged. The temple denies the accusations.
(https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/pcs/click%253Fxai%253DAKAOjstYSyX3W8Ku9O1UtInpaV3xK-BHCiZ_IXhlS_jV6Pto6O4FmjzAo-4UfwQsjKFkNqbufJQz_GW5-46AG-OKC1P3awiRRplB0VHAjvmDzlJpbx5cZUaoewI9VdomHM27GDJk m8QI9KYYo5YmlL85heuHqRiwLtpnYb6GOJ0uRJLpJMnAixvVnJ TYY254MAXElsKwjJiRIgUelrlY6RUXR3qqY1sSnDHpAAElJTcq %2526sai%253DAMfl-YRzDMt3fRDS2qFjT7xMCltTK6XHI9c9qxkSeSPVe4d8wau9Kkv mZ5Qre_xTaTdpeP_1zxpASvkq9Q%2526sig%253DCg0ArKJSzP gvYxtVVA0oEAE%2526urlfix%253D1%2526adurl%253Dhttp://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses-australia/)The raid on Monday was the latest move by authorities in a tug-of-war since 2001 to bring the tigers under state control.
Adisorn Nuchdamrong, the deputy director general of the department of national parks, said the team had been able to confiscate the tigers thanks to a warrant obtained a few hours before the operation.
“We have a court warrant this time, unlike previous times, when we only asked for the temple’s cooperation, which did not work,” Adisorn said.
“International pressure concerning illegal wildlife trafficking is also part of why we’re acting now.”
Officials from the department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation said they planned to confiscate and remove more tigers from the temple on Tuesday and send them to a state-owned sanctuary.
Previous attempts to inspect the tigers have largely been blocked by the temple’s abbots, but in January and February wildlife officials removed 10 of the tigers.
Thailand has long been a hub for the illicit trafficking of wildlife and forest products, including ivory. Exotic birds, mammals and reptiles, some of them endangered species, can often be found on sale in markets.
The government introduced animal welfare laws in 2015 aimed at curbing animal abuse, but activists accuse authorities of not enforcing the legislation properly.
an interesting video on above site
Wildlife authorities in Thailand (http://www.theguardian.com/world/thailand) have raided a Buddhist temple where tigers are kept, taking away three of the animals and vowing to confiscate scores more in response to global pressure over wildlife trafficking.
The Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, has more than 100 tigers and has become a tourist destination where visitors take selfies with tigers and bottle-feed their cubs.
The temple promotes itself as a wildlife sanctuary, but in recent years it has been investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and animal abuse.
Wildlife (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/wildlife) activists have accused the temple’s monks of illegally breeding tigers, while some visitors have said the animals can appear drugged. The temple denies the accusations.
(https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/pcs/click%253Fxai%253DAKAOjstYSyX3W8Ku9O1UtInpaV3xK-BHCiZ_IXhlS_jV6Pto6O4FmjzAo-4UfwQsjKFkNqbufJQz_GW5-46AG-OKC1P3awiRRplB0VHAjvmDzlJpbx5cZUaoewI9VdomHM27GDJk m8QI9KYYo5YmlL85heuHqRiwLtpnYb6GOJ0uRJLpJMnAixvVnJ TYY254MAXElsKwjJiRIgUelrlY6RUXR3qqY1sSnDHpAAElJTcq %2526sai%253DAMfl-YRzDMt3fRDS2qFjT7xMCltTK6XHI9c9qxkSeSPVe4d8wau9Kkv mZ5Qre_xTaTdpeP_1zxpASvkq9Q%2526sig%253DCg0ArKJSzP gvYxtVVA0oEAE%2526urlfix%253D1%2526adurl%253Dhttp://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses-australia/)The raid on Monday was the latest move by authorities in a tug-of-war since 2001 to bring the tigers under state control.
Adisorn Nuchdamrong, the deputy director general of the department of national parks, said the team had been able to confiscate the tigers thanks to a warrant obtained a few hours before the operation.
“We have a court warrant this time, unlike previous times, when we only asked for the temple’s cooperation, which did not work,” Adisorn said.
“International pressure concerning illegal wildlife trafficking is also part of why we’re acting now.”
Officials from the department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation said they planned to confiscate and remove more tigers from the temple on Tuesday and send them to a state-owned sanctuary.
Previous attempts to inspect the tigers have largely been blocked by the temple’s abbots, but in January and February wildlife officials removed 10 of the tigers.
Thailand has long been a hub for the illicit trafficking of wildlife and forest products, including ivory. Exotic birds, mammals and reptiles, some of them endangered species, can often be found on sale in markets.
The government introduced animal welfare laws in 2015 aimed at curbing animal abuse, but activists accuse authorities of not enforcing the legislation properly.