Official Rescue of Tigers Underway at Thailand’s World Famous Selfie Temple
Vic Bishop, Staff
Waking Times
“If you can hug it, ride, it or take a selfie with it, there is a strong chance the animal has suffered cruelty, and the experience should be avoided.” –Nicola Beynona
The exploitation of animals is one of the ugliest realities of modern life, however, dedicated activists are succeeding in holding corporate and for-profit animal abusers to account for their crimes against nature. In a popular example, Sea World is facing public indignation over the treatment of Orca whales, forcing the amusement park chain to consider changing its practices.
Activists have for years been working to bring the same kind of public attention on the abuse and exploitation of tigers around the world, and at Thailand’s world-famous Tiger Temple, an official rescue is underway that is freeing some animals from the cruel treatment and conditions tigers face at the tourist destination. After a monumental effort, largely led by the Australian animal rights organization, World Animal Protection, the government of Thailand has been pressured into taking action to stop some of the cruelty to these tigers, and is now in the process of rescuing dozens of animals.
“Following a series of dramatic events, Thailand’s Department of National Parks (DNP) director- general, Nipon Chotiban, has ordered all tigers to be removed from the Tiger Temple by the end of April. This is great news for wildlife conservationists and animal rights activists who have been fighting for over 15 years to close the facility down after numerous reports of abuse and illegal wildlife trading.” [Source]
So far this year, at least 10 tigers have been removed from the supposed animal sanctuary and conservation project, with forthcoming plans to remove nearly all of them by the middle of the year. The aim is to prevent the Tiger Temple from continuing to harm and breed these animals in captivity for exploitation, which separates them from their instinctual learning environment, making them unable to ever be returned to the wild.
Sedated tigers love hangin’ with the whole family.
Head of Campaigns for World Animal Protection, Nicola Beynona made the following comments regarding the captivity of these animals, and the plans to relocate 147 of them to facilities where exploitative breeding will not take place.
“Tigers at the Tiger Temple are separated from their mothers at an early age, and forced into submission through cruel training to make them docile enough to interact with tourists.
The living conditions for these tigers are appalling – barren, concrete cages, and being used as tourist photo props for hours on end.
We know that most people who pay for a wild animal encounter do so because they love animals and are simply unaware of the cruelty that goes on behind the scenes.
If you can hug it, ride, it or take a selfie with it, there is a strong chance the animal has suffered cruelty, and the experience should be avoided.
The complex undertaking of re-homing 147 tigers in adequate conditions highlights the ongoing cruelty in breeding wild animals for profit.”
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Made famous as the place where you can hang out with Buddhist monks and tigers, and pay up to $180 to have a selfie taken with these captive beasts, the internet is flooded with images of chained up tigers juxtaposed with proud tourists and celebrities.
Famous rocker Steven Tyler at the Tiger Temple.
How did human beings come to be so callous towards the animal kingdom?
The tigers and other animals in question at the famous Tiger Temple have allegedly been abused in a number of ways, including beatings, over-exposure to sun, malnourishment, separation from mothers just after birth, severely restricted movement, terrible living quarters, being sedated, and a lifetime of obedience conditioning that has them trained to be docile to tourists, and even while being punched in the head by staff members.
Beyonce, Jay-Z and family with tiger cubs.
Tiger selfies have become such a thing on social media, the state of New York actually passed a law prohibiting people from being in close proximity to big cats, effectively banning people from taking selfies with these animals. This legislation is supposed to address the exploitation of tigers, but the greater problem lie in other parts of the world, where the government seizure of tigers from this temple is praised as a positive achievement for animal rights.
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Video of animal abuse the Tiger Temple has been been taken by visitors, suggesting that caretakers see nothing wrong with abusing animals in front of guests, and one can only imagine what kind of things go on when there is not an audience present taking videos.
The scale and enormity of animal cruelty here on earth is the surest sign that the human race suffers from some type of spiritual illness and a deep disconnect from nature. Why shouldn’t animals, who are being driven into extinction by the insanity of people, be treated as sentient beings and respected as living creatures with rights and freedoms such as people have?
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About the Author
Vic Bishop is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and OffgridOutpost.com Survival Tips blog. He is an observer of people, animals, nature, and he loves to ponder the connection and relationship between them all. A believer in always striving to becoming self-sufficient and free from the matrix, please track him down on Facebook.
Sources:
>http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/tiger-temple-thailand-animal-abuse/
>http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/government-seizes-all-tigers-from-thailands-tiger-temple/
>http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/tiger-temple-thailand-animal-abuse/
>http://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au/news/tigers-confiscated-thailands-tiger-temple
>http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/five_big_cats_rescued_from_thailands_tiger_temple/
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