The truth about Thailand's Tiger Temple

I have always loved Thailand.

I first went almost 20 years ago, following an urge to discover the mystic east.

From the moment I stepped off the plane into the chaotic metropolis of Bangkok, I knew I had arrived somewhere special - I was not in Kansas anymore.

I can honestly say after a lot of traveling, I have never experienced a place quite like Thailand.

I know it is engineered to drag in the tourists, but strip all that away and there is something about the place I have never found elsewhere else.

Riding  the train from the airport into the city centre you are plunged you into lush palm trees and jungle, broken by golden spires and sparkling red, blue and emerald-tiled temples glistening in the tropical sunshine.

As you approach the city, the vibrant green merges into a grey, smoky, flashing neon concrete metropolis - Bangkok, where what awaits is an assault of sights, sounds, and smells.

If you can handle more than a week in the capital, well done, it is hard work with the noise, pollution and the heat. Many choose to escape to the northern cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai where a completely different experience awaits.

More temples, of course, and more lush countryside, and even few pubs in the main drag the last time I went.

This is the usual trail, Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and then down to one of the islands, where, well, people travel from all over the world for a week on a Thai beach.

Thailand really has everything, it is the ideal destination for holiday-makers seeking luxury and backpackers.

There was nothing I could say to fault the country, that was until I visited a couple of years ago.

And it was an article in the Daily Mail last week which jogged my memory.

An organised tour of Kanchanaburi, on the outskirts of Bangkok, included a visit to the River Kwai, the Jeath War Museum, and a place I had not heard of before, the “Tiger Temple”.

We asked the tour guide what it was, I have an aversion to zoos and choose not to visit them, so I wanted to make sure.

No matter which argument I hear that zoos are needed for the good of the planet, there is nothing more distressing than the sight of animals behind bars, or even worse, being mauled by queues of tourists “in the name of conservation” - no thank you.

But the Tiger Temple, I was assured, was a project run by monks who care for animals which have been rescued from poachers.

This is the worrying part, and a note of caution to anyone visiting Thailand who is concerned about animal welfare, all the literature assures visitors this is a conservation project, and  tigers  are not abused for commercial gain.

They are free, and not exploited to feed the curiosity of coach-loads of tourists.

Although I  had a bad feeling, it was too late, we were on the tour, it didn’t sound right though, a wide open compound with wild tigers allowed to roam around with visitors wandering around? 

The big plastic cartoon tiger face with open jaws over the entrance with “Tiger Temple” in gaudy lettering did little to ease my growing concern.

We signed a card waiving all  rights to legal redress should we be injured by one of the big cats.

Then we were taken through to the main attraction. Within seconds I regretted not trusting my instincts.

Before me was a huge concrete compound with metal rings on the ground and chains, around two foot long, tethering massive tigers to the floor.

I don’t know why they bothered tying them up, because as they were mauled, prodded and photographed by the throngs of tourists who had paid extra for the privilege, their heads lolled listlessly from the chains.

Around the compound were notices assuring visitors the tigers were not drugged, they are just sleepy because they are well-fed, and please have your photograph taken for 10,000 baht, on top of the entry fee of course.

I don’t know which was worse, the tigers being manhandled, their tails held up by giggling backpackers for the cameras, or the total ignorance of hundreds who were lined up to partake in this grotesque spectacle.

Then there is a pool enclosure where, for another donation, you can play with the tigers with a ball on a stick, don’t worry if they get a bit too frisky because there is a warden who will boot them away if they get too close.

We had the good sense to leave and sit it out in the car-park while the others on the tour waited to get their pictures taken.

“Did you get a photo with the tigers?” they asked excitedly, waving polaroids in the air on their way out.

Without wanting to come across too much of a killjoy, I explained it was not my thing. They didn’t get it though, the tigers were simply there for human entertainment, and that suited them.

This treatment of animals seemed to be apparent across all the wildlife pursuits in Thailand.

A refuge for former logging elephants to live out their old age in peace in Ayutthaya is actually an elephant ride centre.

Set foot through the door and you are hard-sold into coughing up cash to sit on an elephant for a tour around the village while a bored mahout bangs it with a steel hook on a pole.

Then you are expected to “tip the elephant” as you leave - more money.

Swing with the wild gibbons in Chiang Mai, should translate to “come to an enclave in the jungle where you can see chained up gibbons, again, at a hearty price”.

The crocodile and snake farms conveniently have a handbag and belt shop next door for you to pick up a souvenir of your visit.

Thailand has its good points, and there are a lot of them, but when it comes to animals - they really could do better.

A word of warning to anyone planning to visit - have a great time, but if you are going in search of wildlife conservation - forget it.