The Other Zoo Menu

The Other Zoo Menu

This last week there has been several links to what various zoos have been feeding their animals. These are always of interest to others for discussion and comparison.

It reminded me though of another zoo menu. Back in the latter part of 2005 Chiang Mai’s Night Safari was readying itself for opening.

Guests to the park’s Vareekunchorn restaurant were offered the option of feasting on an “Exotic Buffet” of tiger, lion, elephant and giraffe, for just Bt4,500 a head.

Ironically, the prime minister said the park would aim to increase public awareness of natural science and wildlife.

“The zoo will be outstanding, with several restaurants offering visitors the chance to experience exotic foods such as imported horse, kangaroo, giraffe, snake, elephant, tiger and lion meat.

“We will also provide domestic crocodile and dog meat from Sakon Nakhon province,”

ZooNews Digest got to hear of this bizarre feast and posted out it's disgust that a zoo should be involved. At the same time other conservation bodies became involved and it hit the worlds press big time. Chiang Mai’s Night Safari took a step backwards and more conventional foods were served instead.

Ironically I recall the only email I had on the issue was an attack against me by the curator of a certain Australian Zoo.

Chiang Mai’s Night Safari has changed a lot since 2005. Originally a private venture it is now under the wing of the Zoological Park Organization.

I for one am so happy to see the progress.

Peter Dickinson Independent International Zoo Consultant +66 (0) 93 0835 862 | elvinhow@gmail.com https://iizc.org/ | Skype: peter.dickinson48

Yet Another Tiger Attack

Yet Another Tiger Attack

On the 7th July a visitor to the Wat Or Noi Temple in Nakorn Pathom, Thailand was attacked and severely injured on the arm and hand.

The temple currently has five tigers and has been keeping these since 2003. The Abbot claims that the animals were legally acquired and are registered with the Wildlife authorities. It is likely that the tigers were acquired from either the 'other' Tiger Temple or the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo which over breeds their inbred Tiger hybrids to a degree of extreme concern.

There are a number of Temples in Thailand which seek to imitate the unglorious success of the main Tiger Temple. Claiming to offer sanctuary these operations actually have no place in Buddhism and are merely fronts to rake in money and offer cheap (and sometimes not so cheap) thrills to gullible tourists.

The Abbot of the temple, Luang Pu Dharma Issara, has stated that the Temple will foot the bill for any medical treatment required.

Zoos in Thailand breed Tigers in large numbers and there is a huge question mark as to where the animals disappear to. Most every collection which does breed will hand rear to offer ignorant tourists to opportunity to bottle feed the cubs or pose with chained (and sometimes drugged) adult tigers.

The most popular facility at present is not a Temple, but the Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. So successful have they been at duping the public that they are shortly opening a satellite facility in Phuket in the south of Thailand.

All Tigers in Thai collections are meant to be registered with the authorities and each is meant to be micro-chipped for identification purposes. Although this was started some years back it is extremely doubtful whether it is continuing. There is no check on what is happening to the animals. Some years ago Sri Racha supplied a huge number of tigers to Sanya Greatest World of Love in China.

Some zoos in the West also offer Tiger posing sessions or 'walk with tigers' and so unwittingly and in some cases uncaringly promote these nasty Thai 'experiences'. Big cats are not for playing with. They are always an accident waiting to happen.

This attack by a captive tiger is the 4th verified incident since May 2013. There were others earlier in the year.


The others were:

May

June

July

Tiger on the Menu

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/larskjensen/2752917025/

Tiger on the Menu

Thai police recently raided a house in Bangkok and "seizure of tiger skins and carcasses and other protected wildlife from a major smuggler at a Bangkok home".

Sounds reasonable enough...they caught him. Note the use of the words 'Skins' and 'major smuggler'.

The report goes on to state: "An official from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) said the skinned tigers could have been obtained from one of the zoos. So, the inspection, when done, would reveal a head-count and other details of animals at all premises and likely evidence of any that had gone missing."

That is good news. It is years ago now that all zoos in Thailand were required to have their tigers microchipped. This was done specifically because of the illegal export of tigers from the infamous Sri Racha Tiger Zoo and should have prevented, but didn't Tigers going out of the back door of the cruel and exploitative Tiger Temple.

Not just Tigers here as the report also states "Tiger skins and carcasses along with meat from elephants, zebras and lions were found at the house". Bit worrying because there have been recent reports of elephants being killed for their meat in Thailand.

You can read this full story here: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120207-326300.html

The next report is headed: "Police suspect illegal tiger meat haul came from zoo"

It mentions "400kg of tiger meat" which suggests there was more than one animal here and goes on to state "the alleged tiger meat owner, Tananuwat Boonperm, alias Od Bang Kroui, kept records relating to the illegal wildlife trade."

and goes on to implicate with "The tiger zoo in Si Racha was linked to a previous case when 11 tiger carcasses were found in Nakhon Phanom in 2008.

People caught with the tiger meat at the time claimed it came from the Si Racha zoo. Investigators, however, could not prosecute the farm due to insufficient evidence, he said."

Are the investigators truly blind and ignorant to what is going on in Sri Racha Tiger Zoo? To me it is obvious. Somebody needs to pull their finger out.

Further to the above:
"The officer said the tiger population at the zoo was growing rapidly and the daily food bill was 2,000 baht."

2,000 baht!!!!!!! There was more than 400 tigers there on my last visit and they are churning cubs out because they need them for photography sessions. 2,000 baht is a good night out in Thailand!

I have asked the question before. Where are all these tigers going? I know. To make things worse Sri Racha is not alone. There are loads of other places producing tigers. These animals will easily live 20 years. There is not the space to house them all.

Read more on the above at: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/278582/police-suspect-illegal-tiger-meat-haul-came-from-zoo

Tiger Producers include:

Sri Racha Tiger Zoo

The Tiger Temple

Million Years Stone Park

Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm

Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai


There is a whole big mess needs sorting out here. Heads need to roll.

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SEAZA Annual Conference 2011

SEAZA

19th SEAZA Annual Conference 2011

Monday 12 to Wednesday 14, September 2011

Reintroduced Endangered Species in SEAZA

SEAZA Conference details below:-


Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of Thailand's Zoological Park Organization (ZPO) Under H.M. the King, we are proud to announce that the 19th SEAZA Annual Conference 2011 will be held in Pattaya, Thailand from Monday 12 to Wednesday 14, September 2011.

Although the SEAZA board meeting had previously set a tentative dates of August 22-24 for the conference, but Ramadan this year is during the month of August. So after careful consideration and to best encourage participation from members, we have decided to postpone the conference to September 12-14, 2011.

The theme for this years conference will be "Reintroduced Endangered Species in SEAZA". Submissions of oral and poster presentations can be made according to the attached guidelines. Full details of registration, accomodations and detailed schedules will follow shortly. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
We dearly hope that you and your organization will be able to participate this year to improve our zoos and further the goals of SEAZA. See you soon in Pattaya.

Kindest regards,

The Organizing Committee of the 19th SEAZA Annual Conference

For further info go to the website: http://www.zoothailand.org/seaza2011/

**************

SEAZA members visiting Pattaya for the first time might like to check out:

THE PATTAYA BUCKET LIST

Staying Longer in Thailand?

See

ZOOS IN THAILAND

Note: I am delighted to finally have the details for the SEAZA conference. This year taking place in my 'adopted home' town too. It was previously going to take place here a few years back and I was going to attend. Sadly, political problems forced cancellation. I am in Pattaya right now and it is just possible I may be in the area for the conference as well, not that this is a big deal because I could afford the registration fee anyway. If I am about I will be happy to show people (who have leisure time to spare) around. Even if I am not in the area I could probably still arrange for someone to escort you. Have fun. Peter

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The Elephant Problem in Thailand

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33256665@N00/79020803/

There is a growing problem with wild elephants in Thailand. Quite simply there are too many elephants and too little space. There is nowhere for them to go.

There are estimated to be around three thousand elephants in the wild today (some say five thousand) and there may be upwards of three hundred in captivity in the various captive sanctuaries, zoos and trekking centres. The animals are breeding well wherever they are.

Recently the worlds attention was drawn to the animals living the Kang Ang Rue Nai national park  (see Too Many Elephants) where it was shown that there was as many as 272 elephants living in space that can only comfortably support between 160 and 190 animals. This is a dramatic increase in numbers as research in 2002 showed that there were then only 136 animals there.

Even this current environment is far from suitable. Research has shown that Asian elephants do best in a mix of 60% forest and 40% grassland. The Kang Ang Rue Nai national park only has less than 2% grassland!

So now, today, there is around 100 animals too many. There are around 20 births here each year. This vastly exceeds the death rate and with twenty births per year that means that there are around 40 cows pregnant right now. The numbers are going to rise.

Elephant versus Man conflicts are on the rise and they will continue. Some of these animals have been known to travel as far as 180 kilometres from home. Accidents and conflicts are inevitable. These are large wild animals and are sometimes desperate for food.

One of the measures taken was to dig a ditch three metres wide, 2.5 metres deep and 184 kilometres long in an attempt to divide people and elephants, but whereas people know that they should not cross over to the other side, the elephants do not and elephants do. Any zookeeper who has worked with elephants confined in moated enclosures can tell you tales of the climbing and clambering feats these huge creatures are capable of.

The elephant problem is not confined to Kang Ang Rue Nai. Confrontations have recently taken place on the outskirts of fifteen different forests in eleven Thai provinces.
The Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary is another place where there are just too many animals for the food source available.

Amongst the solutions of ditches, electric fences and fireworks there are plans for 'wildlife corridors'. These have been shown to be successful for many species and allow isolated populations to link up with greater ease. In the case of the elephants though, this is not really the problem. The problem is too many animals in a steadily growing population competing with man in very limited space. Corridors will need to link to suitable elephant habitat where there are currently no animals living.

There is no 'quick fix' here. Sterilisation has been suggested and should be given some consideration as awkward and as difficult as it may be to carry out.



Read More About Elephants:

Elephant Care

Anne The Elephant

Elephant Aphrodisiac

King Kong versus the Elephant

National Thai Elephant Day

Royal Elephant National Museum in Bangkok Thailand

The Elephant Of Tregaron

Ankus

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Too Many Elephants

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/prickly/2535890880/

 Too Many Elephants

Seeing elephants on the streets in Thailand used to be very common. They would wander around the bars at night collecting coins or people would pay a few baht to feed them with sugar cane. Others would pay to crawl under the elephant for luck, especially on a birthday. One wonders where they all went to.

Elephants are still there in the numerous places which do trekking and shows, and the so called 'sanctuaries' which do much the same thing. All of these places are breeding elephants and, being long lived animals, there is a worrying problem emerging. Just where are they all going to go?

There are already too many elephants in some of the national parks. Space is at a premium. It is estimated that the Kang Ang Rue Nai national park can comfortably support a population of around 190 animals. Unfortunately the numbers there are now somewhere between 250 and 270 elephants. There is not enough space or food to go round.

Animals are now coming out of the forest and raiding the surrounding farms. A few more wiley groups are hijacking trucks loaded with sugarcane or cassava. The authorities have now prohibited nightime travel and use of the roads in the area to prevent elephant attack.

What is the solution? Contraception, culling, relocation. Whatever... this is an elephant sized problem which is not going to go away in a hurry.


Read more about elephants:

Elephant Care

Ankus

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Just What Is A Tiger Worth?

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbarronoss/481191519/

Just What Is A Tiger Worth?

The trade in Tigers continues with shady deals done out of the back doors of the dysfunctional zoos.

Sri Racha Tiger Zoo has hundreds of Tigers and continues to breed them in large numbers. They are not alone. There is the Tiger Temple, Tiger Kingdom, Million Years Stone Park amongst many others.

There is NO contribution to conservation.

Just where are all the animals going? There is no mass die off, no tiger plague. These are not short lived animals. The numbers increase every year. They are not being released to the wild and there is only a limited number of zoos who need generic inbred tigers and most of these have them anyway.

Todays Bangkok Post (Monday 27th June 2011) presents these interesting figures in an article entitled 'Wildlife muggling trails go even deeper' by Wassayos Ngamkham.


A Tiger is worth 1,000.000 Thai Baht because all its parts can be used.

The skin itself can be worth hundreds of thousands of Thai Baht dependent on colour and size.

A Tiger penis will sell for between 30,000 and 50,000 Thai Baht.

Meat and Bones will fetch prices of 5,000 and 6,000 Thai Baht per kilo.

Cost of the blood is negotiable and is sometimes used in the preparation of Yaa Dong.

Teeth and claws are sold as separate items and used in the making of amulets.

Now it may seem that there is a large and obvious trade in Tiger parts in Thailand but there isn't. Tigers are slipping out the back door, leaving the country. Some years back there were plans to microchip every tiger in captivity in Thailand. It would be interesting to know just how many have been done up to now.

Note: At todays exchange rate you will get 30.9 Thai Baht for $1 and 49.4 Thai Baht for £1
Now you can work out just how much a tiger is worth.

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Tiger Temple Update - November 2010 - Important

Tiger Temple Update - November 2010

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/luisca/3607613474/

(The post below has been taken directly from Sybelle Foxcroft's post in Notes on cee4life you can read the full post on the Facebook page.)


Hi All

Firstly, I'd just like to thank CNN for the exposure of the Tiger Temple to the US and any one else around the world who was watching. Brilliant, and I thank this huge network for having the guts to bring this to a wide public audience.

At the same time that the CNN broadcast of the Tiger Temple abuse and Tony the Truckstop tiger went to air, something very disturbing unfolded inside the tiger temple.

To bring you up to date, the Tiger Temple is removing all foreign staff from hands on contact with the tigers. That means the care and handling of these tigers has taken a massive step backwards.

Although, when the foreign volunteers were hands on with the tigers, they were still only able to stop some of the abuses, particularly the physical abuse. Now there is no one to stop it. The Temple just employed another 5 thai staff workers to work directly with the tigers. These Thai workers are off the street and have had no animal experience in their lives, much like all of the staff.

So when they are employed in the temple, they are trained by 2 very nasty pieces of men who's only method of controlling a tiger is via a smash in the head, karate punches, kidney kicking, and other vicious actions. These have all been caught on film, and are up on YouTube along with other abuses, for your viewing pleasure........ :(

So the information for the world is up on the internet, its still just a matter of getting this out to the public.

But on the very night that the CNN exposure aired, in Thailand at the Tiger Temple, a Hollywood film crew entered the Tiger Temple. The long suffering Hernfa (tiger with his head yanked up and down all day everyday for tourist photos) Saifa (one of the last, ailing and in desperate need of veterinary aid, remaining original tigers) the young adults Mek & Payak (my Harnfa's sons) and the younger Sangton (female), were all hauled out of their cages to participate in the filming of the Scorpian King 3.......

I am in absolute shock that Hollywood used the Tiger Temple tigers... this is an absolute disaster. Hollywood would have paid the Temple quite a bit of money for this. Unbelievable....

Now if 1 Hollywood production company chose to use these horribly abused tigers, then there could be 2, then 3 etc etc....

The trucks drove in and set up massive flood lights and the tigers were pushed and prodded to 'act'. The problem is that they were not acting, the sight of the thick sticks that they are beaten with ensured that they would not misbehave too much. However, Hernfa (who is becoming defiant in his older years) objected to this, and was hit repeatedly, chastised, and the bloody tiger balm was all over him.

The next morning the tigers were counted and checked just in case any had disappeared, none had.

Now I know that these Hollywood people did not know about the abuse these creatures have endured. I know to us that know about it, it would seem like they would have to be living with their heads in the sand to have not heard about it, but still alot of people do not know.

So the Scorpian King 3, which is apparentently going straight to DVD, used some of the temple tigers. They paid for them, and they have inadvertantly contributed to the ongoing abuse of these creatures.

Now about the tigers.....

Sangtewan is not pregnant. They have been trying hard to get her pregnant again, however this time I think her body has given up. Her beaten and broken body is a mess. If she does not recieve any veterinary aid she will suffer and she will die.

Fakram - has given up on everything. He is isolated from the other tigers and is situated at a lonely end of tiger island. The reason for this, I can only think, is because he is not able to be handled at all and challenges everyone, he is a killer. He always was a killer, however in 2007 - mid 2009 he was a killer that still had a personality, now he has no personality, just a killer. It seems they are starving him to death as he is losing a massive amount of weight. The other tigers are being fed, however Fakram is rarely seen with any food.

It is not that the Temple doesnt have the money, it is just that Fakram has no use to them, he is forgotten. One of the senior TSW was overheard saying 'Fakram will be gone soon and we use the cage for other tiger'.

WTF are they up to.......

There are 84 tigers inside tiger island now, there are approximately 34 cages under tiger island. 4 cages cannot be used, and Mam Mam the Moon bear is in another cage.Now do the maths. 29 cages for 84 tigers, now grassed area, just cement and rusted bars.

Cee4life is trying very hard to keep an eye on all of the ailing tigers. I will put a list up of all of the ailing tigers soon, and some photographs.

Weya - is doomed. Dr Somchai refuses to provide the correct medication to end his unbearable haematoma.... this is tragic, angering.

Hernfa - his eyes are shaking and he is unable to focus. This is the same for 15 of the tigers. This has been brought to the attention of the Dr, but nothing is done. These ailments have now been going on for 5 months.... they will go on forever if this cant be stopped.

Nanfa - the tiger Nanfa has begun to just stop moving. Once Nan would walk around the cage, but now wont move most days. Something terrible has happened to Nan, I am trying to find out.

Rowie - the young male Rowie has also got serious eye problems, is unable to focus directly on anything.

Saidow - the young cub Saidow is one of many who is born cross eyed, however numerous tigers within the temple are suffering eye infections, disabilities of some kind or another.

These eye problems are multiplying. It is not just the older tigers, it is the young ones too. This could be a symptom of a number of things. In the older ones, the sudden shaking eyes could be neurological, a stroke maybe, maybe a head injury, a virus - it will be unknown until professional veterinary aid is given.

The young cubs being born with cross eyes - probably from inbreeding, also a symptom of a parent who has been drugged alot during pregnancy.

Whatever the case, they are still in dire need and........go to the cee4life to read more. It is important.

For even more on the Tiger Temple please read:

The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi Thailand

And can I once again renew my appeal to the zoos of the world to put up a small sign on their Tiger enclosures advising tourists not to visit the Tiger Temple when they visit Thailand? Please. It is your countrymen which keep this place going.

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Status of Elephants in Thailand

The other day I posted up a short piece on a Tightrope Walking Elephant at Safari World in Bangkok. Today it is the status of wild elephants I draw your attention. Taken from an excellent article in Today's Bangkok Post:

FALLEN GIANT: This male elephant was killed by poachers who were then surprised by rangers in Kui Buri National Park. PHOTO: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL PARKS, WILDLIFE AND PLANT CONSERVATION


Cruel trade brings slaughter to the deep forestThe continuing demand for ivory worldwide is a major contributor to the perilous decline of the noble and once thriving Asian elephant

Late last month a male elephant was shot dead in Kui Buri National Park in Prachuab Khiri Khan province. The poachers chopped the elephant's face and trunk to pieces in an attempt to remove his tusks. They failed, however, because park rangers arrived at the scene soon after hearing the gun blast and arrested one suspect. It is believed that the poaching incident was ordered by another party.


A month earlier in nearby Keang Krachan National Park in Petchaburi province, another bull elephant was shot dead and similarly mutilated. The poachers were successful in removing the valuable tusks.

Two years ago a similar incident sparked a conflict between conservationists and park officials when a male elephant in Tap Lan National Park in Prachin Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces was killed and its tusks were removed and allegedly sent to an ''influential'' Bangkokian. Some witnesses claim that park workers and even a local monk took part in the slaughter.

Since wild elephants live in the deep forest it is hard to quantify the actual number lost in such criminal acts, which are publicly reported only when the carcasses are discovered by villagers or forest rangers. The three incidents above took place inside national parks which are monitored by wildlife rangers. It's not known how frequently such scenes are played out in unmonitored forests, along the nation's borders, or inside neighbouring countries.

What is known is that Asian elephants are becoming a seriously endangered species in environments where the mighty beasts were once plentiful.

Sompoad Srikosamatara, an assistant professor at Mahidol University who has studied Asian elephants and the ivory trade, said that in Thailand there are an estimated 1,600 elephants left, and in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam their number has decrease to around 1,500. He said that 53 elephants were known to have been killed in Thailand in the wild from 1992 to 1997, 24 for their tusks.

Mattana Srikrachangan, a National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (NPD) elephant researcher, said ivory hunters are not the only threat wild elephants face from humans in Kui Buri National Park.

The wildlife scientist said some of the park's jumbos had been poisoned to death to keep them out of pineapple farms surrounding the park.

''Four were killed in 1997 and 1998 when the price of pineapples was high. Another two were killed in 2003 and one in 2008,'' she said, adding that those killed were females and males without tusks.

READ THE FULL STORY BY CLICKING HERE

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Elephants And Floods

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32454602@N00/132283249/

Those of you who look further than local news may be aware that large parts of Thailand are presently under water because of flooding. Other places are threatened. The Philippines has just had a close call with a mega typhoon Megi which destroyed 600.000 tons of rice. Indonesia faces a rice shortage. The typhoon is now headed for China. Meanwhile things on the other side of the world look to be getting a whole lot wetter too.

There follows a message from Ewa and Michelle of Elephantstay in Thailand

We are in disaster mode, the flooding has meant evacuation of us all as well as the elephants. Have spent the last three days wading through rising water carting stuff into the huts, hopefully the water wont get higher than in 2006. when the water came to just a couple of inches short of the floor of the huts. We have been working until mentally and physically exhausted. The mothers and babies are in the Kraal, some of the dangerous elephants are up near the Kraal, the water hasn't reached to the road yet. The other elephants are about a mile down the road, where they went in 2006.


Michelle and I are lucky as our wonderful friend, Wimon, who has the driving business, has generously let us stay in her home stay. That is Michelle and I, Paul, (our expat volunteer who lives at the Kraal) our two dogs, Buddy and Little Girl, (Buddy has been a problem as he is getting old and feeble and we are on the second floor and his bladder is not working too well), Munchie the cat, Boonlua the monkey who did not want to come, so we had a bit of fight getting him into the cage we bought for his temporary stay outside and so I have to spend time holding his little hand for comfort, Stripe his rabbit, and the bird, Rosalie One Wing, so all in all it was quite the evacuation just for us, let alone for Pi Om, where sand bagging his house gave him a couple of days to try and get his stuff out of the house. They ended up knocking out a wall at the back to remove stuff and get it into his new house, which was still not finished. So he has had his plate full with supervising and coordinating all the elephants, people and all. A very stressful time for all. On top of that we have already had to turn away a number of people, over 300,000 baht so far, so it has been devastating on all fronts. Last time we were out for 34 days, this time we are praying it wont be for so long. As soon as things are settled and everyone is relocated, we are going to try and run the program in a modified form as we cant afford to keep sending away people and losing out on so much income.




Pi Om mentioned he was going to take Boon Seuhm, Natalie, Plai KonKha and some other killer elephants to Bangkok to see the Prime Minister, as this state of affairs is unacceptable. What the government and so many people don't seem to realise, is Pi Om could easily sell all his problem elephants and just keep the ones that are easy and make money and then we would not have to worry about a thing, but of course he wont do that. Close to half the elephants don't make any money at all yet they need to be looked after by people who know what they are doing and need to be given a life that is safe and secure and where they will get the care they need and deserve.




So pray for us if you can as we need all the help we can get.

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Tiger Temple 2010

Tiger Temple 2010

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12185911@N00/1750457952/

The situation in the Tiger Temple had gone of the radar recently. I believe this to be a great pity especially in view of the fact that Thailand actually does great 'in situ' conservation work. The shame then is that the likes of the Tiger Temple, Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, Phuket Zoo and others continue as they are.

Below is a report by Sybelle Foxcroft on her most recent visit to the Tiger Temple. This posted just a couple of days ago:

I have just got back from Thailand after getting inside the Tiger Temple to check on the tigers and other animals.

As the information from the 'Behind the Cloak of Buddha' was mostly gathered during the years of 2007 - 2009, I felt it would be more accurate, up to date and to give everyone the picture that is evolving in this place.


Between 1999 - 2008 this place has seen the death of many tigers, the inbreeding and breeding for greed, and the abuse of these magnificent tigers, along with lions, moon bear, leopard and the other animals damned in this place.


One tiger I became extremely close to was named Harnfa, a beautiful Bengal/Indochinese cross.
The has never been a time where I have forgotten him, or any of the other tigers in this place.


Over the last two years, fear kept me from going back into this place, due to the fact that they are corrupt, threatening and vindictive. With the help of two dear friends, I went inside the temple to find out who was alive and who was missing.


The information again is tragic.


Not only has the world watched the most famous wildlife trading place in the world begin and grow, I can now tell you that the garish monolith that the temple claims is 'tiger island' can only be likened to the makings of a tiger farm.


All reminents of the past horrendous facilities have been torn down, and replaced by lines of cage upon cage of tigers, now numbering 65 and growing.


About 20 tigers are on display for the public, however it was the fact that only 2 known tigers from 2007 were on display, disturbed me greatly. Some of the temple staff had claimed that there were 54 tigers, but no one ever saw them.
Where were they all.


I went into the temple to find them, and I found those that are left.


Not one tiger has lived past 10 years old. There are 3 original tigers left, but they are in such incredibly horrendous states that they will not live much longer.


I watched the shockingly fragile Sangtewan, sprawled on the cement floor with 4 tiny cubs, 2 days old. Sangtewan is bones.


The cages themselves are the same cement boxes shown in the 2007 photographs of the newer cages, however instead of one tiger in each of these cramped and desolate cells, there are up to 3 tigers in some, 2 in others, but all living a horrendous life.


And I found my Harnfa (renamed to Mek) He still has his marvellous blue/green eyes, he still carries himself with as the gentle but strong giant is always was, but at nearly 5 years of age, he resembles a tiger of 18 years of age.


Hernfa - the tiger with his head yanked up and down for tourists - is hagged, pacing, and nearly unrecognisable to his former self.


There is not enough cages for the amount of tigers there now, and when that used to happen before, that was when the trades occurred.


From statistics and information gathered, tourism is still high, however not as high as it used to be. But even more alarming is the fact that Australians are the most frequent tourists to this place.


The word must get out, we cannot allow this place to grow silently into a bigger monster than it already is. Please spread the word, and please sign the petition.


Over the coming weeks I will post the photographs, and the continuing story.

Sybelle

The above was taken with permission from 'Behind the Cloak of Buddha' Facebook group.

                                            
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Keeper Shot Dead in Dusit Zoo

Keeper shot dead at zoo believed a victim of political violence

Article removed due to a complaint.
Article Source

Twin Elephants Born

Thai elephant gives birth to first known male twins

A Thai elephant has given birth to the world’s first known male twins, local media reported on Sunday.




The twin males were born to Phang Thong Khun, a 35-year-old in the north-eastern province of Surin, The Nation newspaper reported.



A crowd cheered when the twins were born about two hours apart early Saturday morning, elephant trainer Prapai Mokhorn trainer told The Nation.



The still-unnamed baby elephants are the first known male twins.



Female twins named Phang Jum and Phang Jim were born in Thailand 15 years ago.



Twin pachyderm births are rare, and the survival rate is low. Domestic elephants number about 100,000 in Thailand a century ago, when they were employed in logging and transportation in most parts of the kingdom. Their numbers have since fallen to fewer than 4,000 with ...............

Read Full Story HERE

Pata Zoo Gorilla Keeper

I love the gorillas more than my children, says zoo carer

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/antanith/3882674283/

(Photo NOT from Pata Zoo)

The man who has spent the past two decades tending to Thailand's first pair of gorillas, spoke exclusively to The Nation to help quiet the buzz on social networking websites that accused Bangkok's Pata Zoo of maltreating the 25 year old Bua Noi.

Suwan Netlak, 60, said he felt personally slighted by these accusations because he loved and took more care of Bua Noi than his own children.


"What maltreatment? We provide the gorilla with airconditioning, a fan, a television and meals plus food supplements. We are doing our best," he said.

The photograph depicting Bua Noi sitting rather gloomily in a small area that is doing the rounds was taken a long time ago, he said. She had been moved to a smaller cage because the carers were hosing down the glass walls of her dwelling. "They even said that the gorilla was crying when in fact this animal doesn't have tear glands," he added.

Suwan said he had been taking care of the ape and monkey section in the zoo since he was 31 years old. Initially, his plan was to leave in a few months, but said he couldn't get himself to quit because he had fallen for the monkey's adorable and intelligent characteristics. And then when the gorillas arrived, he was hooked.

"Unlike other monkeys, gorillas have to be provided with special treats like apples, grapes, carrots, bread, tomato, pineapples, watermelon and boiled eggs. Actually, they get very happy when they see me bringing in boiled eggs," Suwan said.

He recalled that he bottle fed Bua Noi when she was brought over as a baby, and spent hours playing with her and cleaning her cage. He said Bua Noi seemed to consider him a parent.

He also said that he regularly provided the older gorilla, Bua Na, with tea. Suwan believed tea would help keep the gorilla strong and healthy. However, when Bua Noi died at the age of 50, Suwan took it pretty badly. He says he still prays for the late primate.

Suwan's day at the zoo begins at 8am and he is there tending to the monkeys and apes until 5pm. Bua Noi is served her breakfast at 8.30am and lunch at 3pm. Her diet consists of two bunches of bananas, banana leaves, morning glory, frozen fruit and instant vitamin supplements, he said.

"Bua Noi is cheerful and likes playing with banana leaves. She laughs and walks happily towards her carers. If I buy grilled pork for lunch, I put some aside for her first," Suwan said.

"My mother underwent leg surgery last night, but I had to leave her to come and take care of the gorilla. I think we do our best for Bua Noi, but others don't understand," he said as he pulled out photographs taken of him with the gorilla and another with an orangutan from his wallet. He had no photographs of him with his own children.

If Bua Noi were moved to a new and bigger area, Suwan said.......

Read Full story HERE 

Tiger Temple Sues Conservationists - Please Give Support

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xiquinho/4192797662/

Please Spread the word far and wide - give your support. The Tiger Temple is an evil commercial exploiter of Tigers. - Peter

*************************************************************************

WFFT - PRESS RELEASE - 2/2/2010


Tiger temple sues conservationists and newspaper reporter over complaints of illegal wildlife possession, animal torture and alleged illegal trade in tigers with foreign countries without permit.

Three local conservationists are being handed over by police to court on Wednesday the 3rd of February at 10:00AM at the provincial court of Kanchanaburi Province. The three are being accused of defamation by the infamous Tiger Temple after a news article in the Thai Post newspaper in April 2009 where accusation were made about animal torture, illegal wildlife trade and possession taking place at the tiger temple. All three conservationists and animal welfare experts were quoted in this article as having a derogatory opinion of the tiger temple.

At the Tiger temple (Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno, Kanchanaburi) hundreds of foreign tourists daily vist the zoo to see and make pictures with the tigers. Entrance fee is 500 baht per person while making “special photos” costs 1,000 baht extra. For a morning experience people pay 4,500 baht per person to feed the cubs and watch the cub-exercise session.

At least a dozen tigers are being dragged from their small enclosures every afternoon down to a sun-backed hot valley to pose with tourists. These tigers are extremely lethargic and allegations have been made that they are being been drugged. When tigers are not obedient before, during or after the photo-session they are sprayed by the keepers with urine from bottles in their eyes and faces and/or hit with wooden sticks on their backs and heads. All tigers at the Tiger Temple are hybrid tigers that originated from a commercial tiger farm in Ratchburi province. The value to conservation of hybrid wildlife is zero. The release of hybrid wildlife back to the wild is considered a biological crime by conservation experts worldwide. In the past years several tigers from the tiger temple have mysteriously disappeared once mature, and some when there were excess cubs. The copy of a contract was found in 2008 where the tiger temple agreed to send tigers to an illegal tiger farm in Laos, signed by the tiger farmer, the abbot of the temple and a member of the temple board. The export or exchange of protected wildlife such as tigers is illegal by Thai law and the international treaty CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species). The Department of National Parks, Plants and Wildlife has never issued a permit to the tiger temple to exchange or export tigers. As a matter of fact the tigers at the temple have been confiscated in 2002 as they were illegally obtained, but were allowed to stay at the temple as the authorities had no shelter available to care for the tigers while the authorities were looking in to the legal case. A zoo permit was issued on a plot of land next to the temple on the name of a commercial enterprise in July 2009, however nothing has been built there to this date and the tigers are currently still being exploited on temple grounds.

Comments and complaints made by many conservationists and animal welfare activists were made to make people aware about the torture, illegal trade and the real value to conservation and to make a stop to the suffering of animals.


People being charged:

Edwin Wiek
Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)
Tel: 08-90600906
edwin.wiek@wfft.org
Web: http://www.wfft.org/



Dr. Surapon Duangkae
Wildlife Fund Thailand under Royal Patronage
Tel: 08-67790454
suraponwft@gmail.com



Mr. Sawan Sangbunlang
Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Tel: 08-19347374
info@thaispca.org
Web: http://www.thaispca.org/

Websites on the tiger temple:

http://www.tigertempletruths.org/  (informative website)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=293971072672  (discussion group)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95165464756  (discussion group)

CITES website http://www.cites.org/


Edwin Wiek
Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
108 moo 6, Tambon Thamairuak
Amphoe Thayang

...................................................................................................................................

Please read my own article on the Tiger Temple: The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi Thailand

Peter