Thailand's infamous tiger temple fights to keep big cats

[rooster59]

Thailand's infamous tiger temple fights to keep big cats

By Jutarat Skulpichetrat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's controversial Tiger Temple, dogged for years by talk that it supplies the black market and mistreats its animals, is fighting to keep the big cats after wildlife authorities rejected a bid to extend a zoo license that expired in 2013.

The Buddhist temple, home to more than 100 tigers, has been investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and wildlife activists have accused it of illegal breeding of the animals.

Thai wildlife authorities have sent ten of the temple's tigers to a wildlife sanctuary.

But the temple, which bills itself as a wildlife sanctuary, has denied links to illegal trafficking, and wants to hold on to its tigers.

Full story: http://news.yahoo.com/thailands-infamous-tiger-temple-fights-keep-big-cats-111358566.html

-- Reuters 2016-02-27

[colinneil]

Trafficked tigers bring big money.

Obviously they will fight to keep them. Great paydays for those involved.

[jaltsc]

Hey, the monks need the income. Austerity ain't as cheap as it used to be.

[Bluespunk]

Trafficked tigers bring big money.

Obviously they will fight to keep them. Great paydays for those involved.

"The world is looking at us," he added. "The temple did not allow officials to enforce the law. The temple has affected Thai tourism."

True but now TAT is worried about it's income stream. Time to take action when that's hurting.

[cumgranosalum]

Whereas moving the tigers a small number at a time is IMO a step in the right direction, In a perfect world the Tigers would be allowed to remain at the temple at least until their fate can be effectively organised. It is the monks that need to be replaced...at least in so far as looking after the tigers is concerned.

remember they don't own these tigers they are property of the state - it is the state that has an obligation to look after them in the long run.

[leeneeds]

Milking off the tourist, is fine if the habitat and welfare for these great cats was the primary channel for the money, We al know it is not so, I have no idea on farming , breeding , but do know and have seen the sad lethargic state of the ones paraded, for photo shoots, and i never recommend the place to any visitors with gusto!

[craigt3365]

Whereas moving the tigers a small number at a time is IMO a step in the right direction, In a perfect world the Tigers would be allowed to remain at the temple at least until their fate can be effectively organised. It is the monks that need to be replaced...at least in so far as looking after the tigers is concerned.

remember they don't own these tigers they are property of the state - it is the state that has an obligation to look after them in the long run.

If allowed to stay, they will continue doing what they've been doing. Selling tiger parts, shipping out cats in the middle of the night, etc. It needs to be shut down immediately and those violating laws jailed.

[shirtless]

Shut the place down they dont look after the animals , just like they dont look after tourist attraction all about take never give.

[cumgranosalum]

Whereas moving the tigers a small number at a time is IMO a step in the right direction, In a perfect world the Tigers would be allowed to remain at the temple at least until their fate can be effectively organised. It is the monks that need to be replaced...at least in so far as looking after the tigers is concerned.

remember they don't own these tigers they are property of the state - it is the state that has an obligation to look after them in the long run.

If allowed to stay, they will continue doing what they've been doing. Selling tiger parts, shipping out cats in the middle of the night, etc. It needs to be shut down immediately and those violating laws jailed.

I think the first thing - as I said above should have been regime change - the daily management should have been taken out of the hands of the monks. This would stop any illicit trading and would have ensured a scientific approach to the care of the tigers. Whilst the tigers are still in the hands of the monks they are being subject to many practices that are not inline with current animal welfare thinking - quite apart from any trading.

With a new management in place the removal and re-housing of the tigers could then go ahead without any interference from the monks.

[craigt3365]

this is absolutely disgusting. Can't believe Western tourists would participate in this...sick, sick, sick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9M4wmcFIx4

[cumgranosalum]

Shut the place down they dont look after the animals , just like they dont look after tourist attraction all about take never give.

On first glance this seems to be an easy solution - but you are talking about 150 tigers that need to be dealt with - ever since 2007 the Thai authorities having realised what a big problem this was, have, until now, shied away from dealing with it. In doing so they have exacerbated the problem. The shear numbers now present a very real obstacle to sorting this out. This is of course why I think "regime change" at the temple would be helpful.

[Shawn0001]

Whereas moving the tigers a small number at a time is IMO a step in the right direction, In a perfect world the Tigers would be allowed to remain at the temple at least until their fate can be effectively organised. It is the monks that need to be replaced...at least in so far as looking after the tigers is concerned.

remember they don't own these tigers they are property of the state - it is the state that has an obligation to look after them in the long run.

If allowed to stay, they will continue doing what they've been doing. Selling tiger parts, shipping out cats in the middle of the night, etc. It needs to be shut down immediately and those violating laws jailed.

I think the first thing - as I said above should have been regime change - the daily management should have been taken out of the hands of the monks. This would stop any illicit trading and would have ensured a scientific approach to the care of the tigers. Whilst the tigers are still in the hands of the monks they are being subject to many practices that are not inline with current animal welfare thinking - quite apart from any trading.

With a new management in place the removal and re-housing of the tigers could then go ahead without any interference from the monks.

I'm not sure why it would be easier to remove the monks than the tigers.

[craigt3365]

Skip to about 2:30. Incredible Thailand allowed this to happen. Unreal:

[cumgranosalum]

Whereas moving the tigers a small number at a time is IMO a step in the right direction, In a perfect world the Tigers would be allowed to remain at the temple at least until their fate can be effectively organised. It is the monks that need to be replaced...at least in so far as looking after the tigers is concerned.

remember they don't own these tigers they are property of the state - it is the state that has an obligation to look after them in the long run.

If allowed to stay, they will continue doing what they've been doing. Selling tiger parts, shipping out cats in the middle of the night, etc. It needs to be shut down immediately and those violating laws jailed.

I think the first thing - as I said above should have been regime change - the daily management should have been taken out of the hands of the monks. This would stop any illicit trading and would have ensured a scientific approach to the care of the tigers. Whilst the tigers are still in the hands of the monks they are being subject to many practices that are not inline with current animal welfare thinking - quite apart from any trading.

With a new management in place the removal and re-housing of the tigers could then go ahead without any interference from the monks.

I'm not sure why it would be easier to remove the monks than the tigers.

You don't have to remove the monks - you take the daily running of the place out of their hands.

Several wildlife organisations have offered help and advice to the temple but have been refused. It is quite possible for "outsiders" to take over the running of the temple. It would also make the plight of the tiger immediately better and facilitate they removal to other places. There is a lot of work that needs to be done on the tigers that would actually be best done in situ. They all need to be properly identifies and their chips verified. They also all need to be DNA tested - a lot of this would be better done BEFORE removal as it may actually be a determining factor as to where the tigers are placed.

[EyesWideOpen]

Too much money at stake, both for the monks and for

the government officials who have turned a blind eye.

This will be in the news for a while, proper money will

be paid, a few lip service tigers will be transferred,

and then it will do the gentle Thai fade away in the

news. This place will never be closed down.....

[DaveinAsia]

It's funny to witness how the parties involved and others who profit from the trade in endangered species and those that use the animals as a commodity to generate money are trying in every possible way to make it seem as if the tigers are treated in a good way. And then of course there are some keepers/trainers who indulge themselves in acts of cruelty. Just the fact that these animals are captured or bred and locked up is insane. Not to mention that they are drugged all day long just to satisfy some idiot tourists who want a 'nice pic' for their Facebook page. Surreal. Tigers are an endangered species who have been on the list of animals who are almost extinct for over 3 decades. What's very positive is the amount of international attention this 'sanctuary'(read prison) is getting. I've even seen signature pages of organizations who want to close this dump down and release the animals into the wild again, where they belong.
Anyone who visits places like this doesn't have much going on up there for themselves, that's a fact. Anyone who promotes cruelty to animals and locking them up is a simpleton and can't be taken seriously, another fact.

A country that allows this kind of greed and cruelty on their territory is just as guilty. With this amount of international attention the highest chief should get involved and close this prison down. Same story with the elephants. A Buddhist country should show the world how kind they are to all animals but instead it's the opposite. How can they allow a baby elephant with its captors to enter a city like BKK or CM? Corruption and greed being the answers as usual. Just go to Thewet fish market on the Chao Praya river to see how many endangered species are being traded and that's just for food.

The Buddha on Animal Rights.

“One must not deliberately kill any living creature either by committing the act oneself, instructing others to kill, or approving of or participating in acts of killing.

To completely abstain from the act of killing directly and indirectly, eat only pure vegetarian food.” ~ Buddhism

What do the teachings of Buddhism say about animal rights?

In Buddhism the highest and universal ideal is to continually work for a permanent end to the suffering of all creatures, not just the human animal, but all animals, all living beings without exception.

Buddhism affirms the unity of all living beings, all equally possess the Buddha-nature, and all have the potential to become Buddhas, that is, to become fully and perfectly enlightened. Among the sentient, there are no second-class citizens. According to Buddhist teaching, human beings do not have a privileged, special place above and beyond that of the rest of life. The world is not a creation specifically for the benefit and pleasure of human beings. Furthermore, in some circumstances according with their karma, humans can be reborn as animals and animals can be reborn as humans.

In Buddhism the most fundamental guideline for conduct is ahimsa- the prohibition against the bringing of harm and/or death to any living being. Why should one refrain from killing? It is because all beings have lives; they love their lives and do not wish to die. Even one of the smallest creatures, the mosquito, when it approaches to bite you, will fly away if you make the slightest motion. Why does it fly away? Because it fears death. It figures that if it drinks your blood, you will take its life. . . . We should nurture compassionate thought. Since we wish to live, we should not kill any other living being. Furthermore, the karma of killing is understood as the root of all suffering and the fundamental cause of sickness and war, and the forces of killing are explicitly identified with the demonic. The highest and most universal ideal of Buddhism is to work unceasingly for permanent end to the suffering of all living beings, not just humans.

The Buddha in a former life was reborn as a Deer-king. He offers to substitute his own life for that of a pregnant doe who is about to give birth. In another previous lifetime, the Buddha sacrificed his own life to feed a starving tiger and her two cubs, who were trapped in the snow. He reasoned that it would be better to save three lives than to merely preserve his own. It is better to lose one’s own life than to kill another being.

A disciple of the Buddha must maintain a mind of kindness and cultivate the practice of liberating beings. He should reflect thus: ‘All male beings have been my father and all females have been my mother. There is not a single being who has not given birth to me during my previous lives, hence all beings of the Six Destinies are my parents. Therefore, when a person kills and eats any of these beings, he thereby slaughters my parents. Furthermore, he kills a body that was once my own, for all elemental earth and water previously served as part of my body and all elemental fire and wind have served as my basic substance. Therefore, I shall always cultivate the practice of liberating beings and in every life be reborn in the eternally­ abiding Dharma and teach other to liberate beings as well.’ Whenever a Bodhisattva sees a person preparing to kill an animal, he should devise a skillful method to rescue and protect it, freeing it from its suffering and difficulties.

[cumgranosalum]

It's funny to witness how the parties involved and others who profit from the trade in endangered species and those that use the animals as a commodity to generate money are trying in every possible way to make it seem as if the tigers are treated in a good way. And then of course there are some keepers/trainers who indulge themselves in acts of cruelty. Just the fact that these animals are captured or bred and locked up is insane. Not to mention that they are drugged all day long just to satisfy some idiot tourists who want a 'nice pic' for their Facebook page. Surreal. Tigers are an endangered species who have been on the list of animals who are almost extinct for over 3 decades. What's very positive is the amount of international attention this 'sanctuary'(read prison) is getting. I've even seen signature pages of organizations who want to close this dump down and release the animals into the wild again, where they belong.

Anyone who visits places like this doesn't have much going on up there for themselves, that's a fact. Anyone who promotes cruelty to animals and locking them up is a simpleton and can't be taken seriously, another fact.

A country that allows this kind of greed and cruelty on their territory is just as guilty. With this amount of international attention the highest chief should get involved and close this prison down. Same story with the elephants. A Buddhist country should show the world how kind they are to all animals but instead it's the opposite. How can they allow a baby elephant with its captors to enter a city like BKK or CM? Corruption and greed being the answers as usual. Just go to Thewet fish market on the Chao Praya river to see how many endangered species are being traded and that's just for food.

The Buddha on Animal Rights.

“One must not deliberately kill any living creature either by committing the act oneself, instructing others to kill, or approving of or participating in acts of killing.

To completely abstain from the act of killing directly and indirectly, eat only pure vegetarian food.” ~ Buddhism

What do the teachings of Buddhism say about animal rights?

In Buddhism the highest and universal ideal is to continually work for a permanent end to the suffering of all creatures, not just the human animal, but all animals, all living beings without exception.

Buddhism affirms the unity of all living beings, all equally possess the Buddha-nature, and all have the potential to become Buddhas, that is, to become fully and perfectly enlightened. Among the sentient, there are no second-class citizens. According to Buddhist teaching, human beings do not have a privileged, special place above and beyond that of the rest of life. The world is not a creation specifically for the benefit and pleasure of human beings. Furthermore, in some circumstances according with their karma, humans can be reborn as humans and animals can be reborn as humans.

In Buddhism the most fundamental guideline for conduct is ahimsa-the prohibition against the bringing of harm and/or death to any living being. Why should one refrain from killing? It is because all beings have lives; they love their lives and do not wish to die. Even one of the smallest creatures, the mosquito, when it approaches to bite you, will fly away if you make the slightest motion. Why does it fly away? Because it fears death. It figures that if it drinks your blood, you will take its life. . . . We should nurture compassionate thought. Since we wish to live, we should not kill any other living being. Furthermore, the karma of killing is understood as the root of all suffering and the fundamental cause of sickness and war, and the forces of killing are explicitly identified with the demonic. The highest and most universal ideal of Buddhism is to work unceasingly for permanent end to the suffering of all living beings, not just humans.

The Buddha in a former life was reborn as a Deer-king. He offers to substitute his own life for that of a pregnant doe who is about to give birth. In another previous lifetime, the Buddha sacrificed his own life to feed a starving tiger and her two cubs, who were trapped in the snow. He reasoned that it would be better to save three lives than to merely preserve his own. It is better to lose one’s own life than to kill another being.

A disciple of the Buddha must maintain a mind of kindness and cultivate the practice of liberating beings. He should reflect thus: ‘All male beings have been my father and all females have been my mother. There is not a single being who has not given birth to me during my previous lives, hence all beings of the Six Destinies are my parents. Therefore, when a person kills and eats any of these beings, he thereby slaughters my parents. Furthermore, he kills a body that was once my own, for all elemental earth and water previously served as part of my body and all elemental fire and wind have served as my basic substance. Therefore, I shall always cultivate the practice of liberating beings and in every life be reborn in the eternally­ abiding Dharma and teach other to liberate beings as well.’ Whenever a Bodhisattva sees a person preparing to kill an animal, he should devise a skillful method to rescue and protect it, freeing it from its suffering and difficulties.

I agree with thr sentiments but this poster falls down on a couple of points of accuracy.

I think that one of the recessions the teflon temple has continued to exist is that the opposition is frequently inaccurate or mislead in their criticisms.

Firstly "they are drugged all day long" - there has not ever been any concrete evidence to support this......it may have happened but without evidence this is not fact. As I said ealrier, work needs to be done on the tigers in situ and testing for drugs might be a help.

signature pages of organizations who want to close this dump down and release the animals into the wild again, where they belong. No-one in ther right mind would EVER suggest releasing these tigers into the wild. Firstly they are of unknown genetic history and may well be hybrids which would bring to an end the indigenous "corbetti subspecies. furthermore the idea of releasing an animal - an apex predator - into the wild that is unable to fend for itself and has no fear of humans would verge on insanity.

Finally Buddhism - is frequently quoted as commanding that life is not to be killed. Unfortunately it also dictates that suffering can be the key to a higher kharma. Interfering with an animal could also be construed and against Buddhist teaching - even if that interference was to treat it with medicine...or put it out of its suffering.

[cumgranosalum]

Too much money at stake, both for the monks and for

the government officials who have turned a blind eye.

This will be in the news for a while, proper money will

be paid, a few lip service tigers will be transferred,

and then it will do the gentle Thai fade away in the

news. This place will never be closed down.....

nice to see a bit of good ol' beer-bar cynicism

[dageurreotype]

Shut the place down they dont look after the animals , just like they dont look after tourist attraction all about take never give.

On first glance this seems to be an easy solution - but you are talking about 150 tigers that need to be dealt with - ever since 2007 the Thai authorities having realised what a big problem this was, have, until now, shied away from dealing with it. In doing so they have exacerbated the problem. The shear numbers now present a very real obstacle to sorting this out. This is of course why I think "regime change" at the temple would be helpful.

Shying away from problems until they're too big to solve is the Thai Way. The tuktuk/taxi mafia on Phuket being a case in point. And any 'regime change' will simply replace one callous exploiter of these magnificent animals with another. That too is the 'Thai Way'.

[DaveinAsia]

It's funny to witness how the parties involved and others who profit from the trade in endangered species and those that use the animals as a commodity to generate money are trying in every possible way to make it seem as if the tigers are treated in a good way. And then of course there are some keepers/trainers who indulge themselves in acts of cruelty. Just the fact that these animals are captured or bred and locked up is insane. Not to mention that they are drugged all day long just to satisfy some idiot tourists who want a 'nice pic' for their Facebook page. Surreal. Tigers are an endangered species who have been on the list of animals who are almost extinct for over 3 decades. What's very positive is the amount of international attention this 'sanctuary'(read prison) is getting. I've even seen signature pages of organizations who want to close this dump down and release the animals into the wild again, where they belong.

Anyone who visits places like this doesn't have much going on up there for themselves, that's a fact. Anyone who promotes cruelty to animals and locking them up is a simpleton and can't be taken seriously, another fact.

A country that allows this kind of greed and cruelty on their territory is just as guilty. With this amount of international attention the highest chief should get involved and close this prison down. Same story with the elephants. A Buddhist country should show the world how kind they are to all animals but instead it's the opposite. How can they allow a baby elephant with its captors to enter a city like BKK or CM? Corruption and greed being the answers as usual. Just go to Thewet fish market on the Chao Praya river to see how many endangered species are being traded and that's just for food.

The Buddha on Animal Rights.

“One must not deliberately kill any living creature either by committing the act oneself, instructing others to kill, or approving of or participating in acts of killing.

To completely abstain from the act of killing directly and indirectly, eat only pure vegetarian food.” ~ Buddhism

What do the teachings of Buddhism say about animal rights?

In Buddhism the highest and universal ideal is to continually work for a permanent end to the suffering of all creatures, not just the human animal, but all animals, all living beings without exception.

Buddhism affirms the unity of all living beings, all equally possess the Buddha-nature, and all have the potential to become Buddhas, that is, to become fully and perfectly enlightened. Among the sentient, there are no second-class citizens. According to Buddhist teaching, human beings do not have a privileged, special place above and beyond that of the rest of life. The world is not a creation specifically for the benefit and pleasure of human beings. Furthermore, in some circumstances according with their karma, humans can be reborn as humans and animals can be reborn as humans.

In Buddhism the most fundamental guideline for conduct is ahimsa-the prohibition against the bringing of harm and/or death to any living being. Why should one refrain from killing? It is because all beings have lives; they love their lives and do not wish to die. Even one of the smallest creatures, the mosquito, when it approaches to bite you, will fly away if you make the slightest motion. Why does it fly away? Because it fears death. It figures that if it drinks your blood, you will take its life. . . . We should nurture compassionate thought. Since we wish to live, we should not kill any other living being. Furthermore, the karma of killing is understood as the root of all suffering and the fundamental cause of sickness and war, and the forces of killing are explicitly identified with the demonic. The highest and most universal ideal of Buddhism is to work unceasingly for permanent end to the suffering of all living beings, not just humans.

The Buddha in a former life was reborn as a Deer-king. He offers to substitute his own life for that of a pregnant doe who is about to give birth. In another previous lifetime, the Buddha sacrificed his own life to feed a starving tiger and her two cubs, who were trapped in the snow. He reasoned that it would be better to save three lives than to merely preserve his own. It is better to lose one’s own life than to kill another being.

A disciple of the Buddha must maintain a mind of kindness and cultivate the practice of liberating beings. He should reflect thus: ‘All male beings have been my father and all females have been my mother. There is not a single being who has not given birth to me during my previous lives, hence all beings of the Six Destinies are my parents. Therefore, when a person kills and eats any of these beings, he thereby slaughters my parents. Furthermore, he kills a body that was once my own, for all elemental earth and water previously served as part of my body and all elemental fire and wind have served as my basic substance. Therefore, I shall always cultivate the practice of liberating beings and in every life be reborn in the eternally­ abiding Dharma and teach other to liberate beings as well.’ Whenever a Bodhisattva sees a person preparing to kill an animal, he should devise a skillful method to rescue and protect it, freeing it from its suffering and difficulties.

I agree with thr sentiments but this poster falls down on a couple of points of accuracy.

I think that one of the recessions the teflon temple has continued to exist is that the opposition is frequently inaccurate or mislead in their criticisms.

Firstly "they are drugged all day long" - there has not ever been any concrete evidence to support this......it may have happened but without evidence this is not fact. As I said ealrier, work needs to be done on the tigers in situ and testing for drugs might be a help.

signature pages of organizations who want to close this dump down and release the animals into the wild again, where they belong. No-one in ther right mind would EVER suggest releasing these tigers into the wild. Firstly they are of unknown genetic history and may well be hybrids which would bring to an end the indigenous "corbetti subspecies. furthermore the idea of releasing an animal - an apex predator - into the wild that is unable to fend for itself and has no fear of humans would verge on insanity.

Finally Buddhism - is frequently quoted as commanding that life is not to be killed. Unfortunately it also dictates that suffering can be the key to a higher kharma. Interfering with an animal could also be construed and against Buddhist teaching - even if that interference was to treat it with medicine...or put it out of its suffering.

Thanks for those big red letters! I was just thinking of getting a new pair of reading glasses as the old ones were not strong enough anymore, 55555! As if you read my mind.

Ok, so we wont release them into the wild. What about a real sanctuary then? One where it may seem that they are wild, not a bloody tourist attraction.

Of course they are drugged. How else can tourists be around them and touch them. Don't need a drug test to see if they are drugged. Does a bear s_hit in the woods?

And finally Buddhism; don't argue about things you know nothing about just for the sake of arguing

[Arandora]

Don't move the Tigers, move the Abbott and the monks. There will be plenty of volunteers and Wild Life organisations to look after the animals until the Thai authorities move them to a proper

Non- commercial habitat.

[cumgranosalum]

Shut the place down they dont look after the animals , just like they dont look after tourist attraction all about take never give.

On first glance this seems to be an easy solution - but you are talking about 150 tigers that need to be dealt with - ever since 2007 the Thai authorities having realised what a big problem this was, have, until now, shied away from dealing with it. In doing so they have exacerbated the problem. The shear numbers now present a very real obstacle to sorting this out. This is of course why I think "regime change" at the temple would be helpful.

Shying away from problems until they're too big to solve is the Thai Way. The tuktuk/taxi mafia on Phuket being a case in point. And any 'regime change' will simply replace one callous exploiter of these magnificent animals with another. That too is the 'Thai Way'.

No, sir as I have explained there ARE already various international and national orgs who have tried in the past to offer their expertise - the same people who are "clearing" the temple and orgs such as WFFT could very easily select and supply a team capable of running the place.

[Toknarok]

Extreme as it may seem the best answer to the problem would be to euthanise all of them. They are almost all certainly hybrids (Bengali/Corbetti)) and as such are completely unsuitable for genetic pure breeding purposes. Even if some should prove to be pure Corbetti (the species indigenous to Thailand) they just cannot be released back into the wild, they would starve to death, a much crueller fate than being put to sleep.

[dageurreotype]

It's funny to witness how the parties involved and others who profit from the trade in endangered species and those that use the animals as a commodity to generate money are trying in every possible way to make it seem as if the tigers are treated in a good way. And then of course there are some keepers/trainers who indulge themselves in acts of cruelty. Just the fact that these animals are captured or bred and locked up is insane. Not to mention that they are drugged all day long just to satisfy some idiot tourists who want a 'nice pic' for their Facebook page. Surreal. Tigers are an endangered species who have been on the list of animals who are almost extinct for over 3 decades. What's very positive is the amount of international attention this 'sanctuary'(read prison) is getting. I've even seen signature pages of organizations who want to close this dump down and release the animals into the wild again, where they belong.

Anyone who visits places like this doesn't have much going on up there for themselves, that's a fact. Anyone who promotes cruelty to animals and locking them up is a simpleton and can't be taken seriously, another fact.

A country that allows this kind of greed and cruelty on their territory is just as guilty. With this amount of international attention the highest chief should get involved and close this prison down. Same story with the elephants. A Buddhist country should show the world how kind they are to all animals but instead it's the opposite. How can they allow a baby elephant with its captors to enter a city like BKK or CM? Corruption and greed being the answers as usual. Just go to Thewet fish market on the Chao Praya river to see how many endangered species are being traded and that's just for food.

The Buddha on Animal Rights.

“One must not deliberately kill any living creature either by committing the act oneself, instructing others to kill, or approving of or participating in acts of killing.

To completely abstain from the act of killing directly and indirectly, eat only pure vegetarian food.” ~ Buddhism

What do the teachings of Buddhism say about animal rights?

In Buddhism the highest and universal ideal is to continually work for a permanent end to the suffering of all creatures, not just the human animal, but all animals, all living beings without exception.

Buddhism affirms the unity of all living beings, all equally possess the Buddha-nature, and all have the potential to become Buddhas, that is, to become fully and perfectly enlightened. Among the sentient, there are no second-class citizens. According to Buddhist teaching, human beings do not have a privileged, special place above and beyond that of the rest of life. The world is not a creation specifically for the benefit and pleasure of human beings. Furthermore, in some circumstances according with their karma, humans can be reborn as animals and animals can be reborn as humans.

In Buddhism the most fundamental guideline for conduct is ahimsa- the prohibition against the bringing of harm and/or death to any living being. Why should one refrain from killing? It is because all beings have lives; they love their lives and do not wish to die. Even one of the smallest creatures, the mosquito, when it approaches to bite you, will fly away if you make the slightest motion. Why does it fly away? Because it fears death. It figures that if it drinks your blood, you will take its life. . . . We should nurture compassionate thought. Since we wish to live, we should not kill any other living being. Furthermore, the karma of killing is understood as the root of all suffering and the fundamental cause of sickness and war, and the forces of killing are explicitly identified with the demonic. The highest and most universal ideal of Buddhism is to work unceasingly for permanent end to the suffering of all living beings, not just humans.

The Buddha in a former life was reborn as a Deer-king. He offers to substitute his own life for that of a pregnant doe who is about to give birth. In another previous lifetime, the Buddha sacrificed his own life to feed a starving tiger and her two cubs, who were trapped in the snow. He reasoned that it would be better to save three lives than to merely preserve his own. It is better to lose one’s own life than to kill another being.

A disciple of the Buddha must maintain a mind of kindness and cultivate the practice of liberating beings. He should reflect thus: ‘All male beings have been my father and all females have been my mother. There is not a single being who has not given birth to me during my previous lives, hence all beings of the Six Destinies are my parents. Therefore, when a person kills and eats any of these beings, he thereby slaughters my parents. Furthermore, he kills a body that was once my own, for all elemental earth and water previously served as part of my body and all elemental fire and wind have served as my basic substance. Therefore, I shall always cultivate the practice of liberating beings and in every life be reborn in the eternally­ abiding Dharma and teach other to liberate beings as well.’ Whenever a Bodhisattva sees a person preparing to kill an animal, he should devise a skillful method to rescue and protect it, freeing it from its suffering and difficulties.

Lovely post. However, it will largely be ignored by the steak and chips brigade who proliferate this forum just as the so called 'Buddhist' Thais do.

[sunnyjim5]

Time for the Authorities to bring this matter to a close.

If it takes armed soldiers coupled with the arrest of the Monks and their "supporters" then so be it.

The time for action is long overdue.

[dageurreotype]

Extreme as it may seem the best answer to the problem would be to euthanise all of them. They are almost all certainly hybrids (Bengali/Corbetti)) and as such are completely unsuitable for genetic pure breeding purposes. Even if some should prove to be pure Corbetti (the species indigenous to Thailand) they just cannot be released back into the wild, they would starve to death, a much crueller fate than being put to sleep.

You talking about the tigers or the greedy faux 'Buddhist monks' who allow this to happen?

[saha]

Why is Buddhist teachings and practicing is opposite in Thailand?

[DaveinAsia]

Don't move the Tigers, move the Abbott and the monks. There will be plenty of volunteers and Wild Life organisations to look after the animals until the Thai authorities move them to a proper

Non- commercial habitat.

Good idea! Don't forget to move out the ex-motocy taxi drivers and ex-paddy field workers who are tiger 'trainers and caretakers'/monks now. Clean the whole place up and let an international organization take over. Have you seen what this place looks like? They have been earning millions of $$$ over the years but obviously not invested anything back into their attraction. Looks like an old Soviet zoo. It seems to be the norm here though; raking in millions but never re-investing

[DaveinAsia]

Why is Buddhist teachings and practicing is opposite in Thailand?

Because they modified the eight precepts

[dageurreotype]

Why is Buddhist teachings and practicing is opposite in Thailand?

Because 'Buddhist' has more cache than 'Animist'