Further fueling fears that a Thai synagogue holidaymaker - trap is involved in wildlife trafficking , authorities have discovered at least 40 idle Panthera tigris cubs stored in a deep freezer at the temple .
Thai police and wildlife functionary begun raid the Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Temple in Kanchanaburi province on Monday . During the ongoing operations to remove 137 peril tigers from the composite , Reutersreports that the 40 Panthera tigris cub carcasses were found in a freezer in the kitchen area of the Buddhistic temple . Along with the cub , the sureness also found the body of a binturong , a protect species often referred to as a “ bearcat . ”
" We find 40 Panthera tigris cubs today , they were aged about one or two days when they died but we do n’t quite have sex yet how long they have been dead , " police colonel Bandith Meungsukhum toldAFP New Agency .
The temple is now jeopardize with a new criminal complaint , although they deny any allegations they have ever traffic animate being on the smuggled market or institutionalize any creature abuse .
In arecently reshared statementon its Facebook page , the Tiger Temple Thailand said : “ greenhorn do occasionally die out for various reason , most often when a new mother lacks the experience to properly care for them . In the past , as per Buddhistic customs , these Panthera tigris sonny were cremate .
“ In 2010 , the ex - veterinary surgeon of Tiger Temple changed this policy . Instead of cremation , the deceased cubs were preserve in jar or hold back frozen . We have documented all the deaths from 2010 and have photographic grounds of them still being within the Temple . ”
Nevertheless , regime conceive something more sinister is afoot . Speaking of the 40 young carnivore body , Adisorn Nuchdamrong , deputy director - full general of the Department of National Parks , toldReuters : " They must be of some value for the temple to keep them . But for what is beyond me . ”
It iswell documentedthat tigers part – including their whisker , organs , blood , to figure – are used in Chinese medicinal drug .
These raid have come at the conclusion of a 15 - twelvemonth cat - and - shiner engagement between the temple and the authorities . Although anecdotical reports and animal rights groups have often pressured agency to investigate the temple on grounds of brute insult and illegal trafficking , the secular Thai politics is often hesitant when dealing with spiritual groups .
Despite the wide - held intuition , the temple attracter still rakes in an estimated$3 million every twelvemonth . The synagogue has become a popular attraction for tourists who can pay a cash - only “ donation ” for the chance to take airless - up photographs and selfies with the tigers or even pet and feed them with bottles . But while social media pages for the hashtag#tigertemplewere previously filled with blanket - eyed westerly tourists posture with tigers , the provender are now stocked with trope demo the low reality behind the selfies and societal media fodder .
