Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi

Tiger Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi that has transformed into a tourist attraction, but not without controversy. Officially called Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, the Theravada Buddhist temple is located in Saiyok district, Kanchanaburi Province. Founded in 1994, the temple received the Golden Jubilee Buddha statue the following year. That statue is made of 80 kilograms of gold.

Monk with tigers at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wat_Phra_Luang_Ta_Bua.jpg
MichaelJanich


In the early days, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua acted as a sanctuary for wild animals that were rescued. In 1999, it received its first tiger cub. According to the story, it was found by villagers. The cub later died, but soon, several other tiger cubs were given to the temple, usually when the mother tiger were killed by poachers.

The Tiger Temple is today home to over twenty seemingly tame tigers. The temple charges a ฿500 admission fee - which comes with a book on the tigers. The fee is said to off set the cost of maintaining the tigers, which cost US$100 per beast per day in feeding and care. The temple receives some 300 to 600 visitors per day, many coming on tour packages.

The Tiger Temple has generated huge controversy over the use of the tigers for commercial gains. There are unsubstantiated claims that the tigers are drugged to remain docile in the presence of humans.

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