Sights of Thailand - Tiger Monastery. It's time to close the Tiger Monastery in Thailand
Tiger Monastery, founded in 1994, is located in Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand. According to environmental organizations, and tourists themselves, the tiger monastery is very far from the ideal of keeping big striped cats. However, we'll see.
1. The trip from Bangkok to the monastery takes about 2.5 hours. Tiger Monastery receives between 300 and 600 visitors daily. Thailand, March 16, 2016. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
2. Nice cat. The tigers are cared for by monks, foreign volunteers and local staff. They say you can get a job as a volunteer at the Tiger Monastery. In order to work with tigers, you need to be fluent in spoken and written English, undergo a full examination and provide a certificate stating that you do not have any chronic diseases. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
3. Like in prison. The area where tigers can roam is small spaces with rather dirty swimming pools and high fences with barbed wire. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
4. Separated by a fence. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
5. Most big striped cats spend their time in cages. And this is sad: in nature, male tigers walk over an area of 100 sq. km. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
6. These are Indochinese tigers, they are smaller than the Bengal and especially the Amur subspecies. The male Indochinese tiger reaches a length of 2.55-2.85 m, has a body weight of 150 to 195 kg (although larger specimens weighing over 250 kg are also found).
8. Sign: “Teeth are plastic, selling tiger parts is illegal. Price - 100 baht." By the way, the length of a tiger’s fangs reaches 8 cm. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
9. In the morning program of the Tiger Monastery, visitors are given several bags of food, which must be given to these same monks. This is a ritual and everything must be observed. It happens like this: 2 lines are formed, one consists of visitors and stands at tables with bags of different food, and the second line is monks. They pass by you, take something, and refuse something. This is the morning ritual that takes place at the Tiger Temple every morning. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
10. Once a day, tigers are taken on a leash to the nearest canyon. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
11. There are several programs for visitors to the Tiger Monastery in Thailand. different prices which include feeding and cuddling baby tigers, bathing and feeding teenage tigers, and playing by the pond with adult cats. Thailand, March 16, 2016. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
12. Prisoner. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
13. The tigers here are fed boiled chicken and dry cat food. According to the official website of the monastery, dry cat food is given to tigers to obtain the necessary nutrients, such as taurine, which is lost in boiled chicken.
Cats on a chain. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
14. Before entering the Tiger Temple, tourists sign a document that they will not have any claims if they are bitten by tigers. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
16. According to environmental activists, the temple is simply using rare cats to attract attention and donations. For example, a selfie with a tiger cub will cost you $180. This is even more than average wage in the province. At the same time, there is no confirmation whether the funds collected go to the maintenance of tigers or the maintenance of the monastery. Moreover, the animals are not registered in any way and cases of their disappearances have been recorded, presumably for the purpose of sale. In general, animal rights activists have been fighting the temple for a long time and are calling for a boycott of visiting the monastery, telling friends about the ins and outs and leaving bad comments on Tripadvisor.
17. On April 1, 2015, the situation seemed to begin to change. Employees of the Thai National Parks Department, military and police tried to enter the park to check the animals and install chips on them. The monks locked all the gates and refused to let anyone inside. The next day the same procession arrived at the temple with the court order. As a result of all this unrest and squabbles, it was decided to confiscate the tigers until the end of April.
18. This is March 2016. The situation has remained virtually unchanged better side. Tigers continue to be mistreated, essentially used as circus animals to please tourists. And construction is already underway on a new Tiger Temple nearby, March 16, 2016. (Photo by Amanda Mustard):
19. And remember: if you visit such places, you support a similar attitude towards animals, in this case, the most big cats in nature - tigers. (Photo by Amanda Mustard)
« Tiger Temple"or tiger cave is one of the favorite places for tourists in. Tourists looking for interesting places in Thailand are often offered a ride here. A visit to hot springs is often added as a bonus. True, a rare tourist, after a long study of the Cave Temple, is happy with such a “hot” addition. Followers of the Buddhist religion come to Tiger Temple in Krabi on a pilgrimage mission.
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What is so attractive about Tiger Cave?
is a Temple located under the “claw” of a rock 270 meters high. The temple rock is shaped like a tiger's claw, hence its “predatory” name. The area around the Temple is incredibly beautiful; the rock fits neatly into the surrounding landscapes.
For the idle tourist, the main “exhibits” in the Tiger Temple are the statues, of which there are many, as well as the walls themselves, intricately carved by time. Buddhists come here not for the Temple itself, but for the “path of purification.” Not far from the sacred place there is a climb up the mountain. According to local legends, Buddha himself left a mark on it. Climbing Tiger Cave Mountain you can see almost the entire Krabi province.
In addition, there is no way to get to the top of the sacred mountain using the “ladder”, which is a staircase of 1,237 steps. Therefore, to pray at the Buddha statue, surrounded by impressive views and panoramas, you have to go through a difficult journey.
Modern infrastructure has improved the place with several free parking located near the Temple. Visit Tiger Temple in Krabi Also, anyone can do it completely free of charge. Special ballot boxes are provided for voluntary donations.
"Path of Purification"
After visiting the Tiger Temple in Krabi (one of the most beautiful), it is worth climbing sacred mountain, for this you need to prepare. You should definitely go to the toilet (read more about the features) and also stock up on a bottle. The road to the Buddha statue will take a lot of time, usually 30–40 minutes is enough, but everyone has their own pace. It can be scary to get up right away, but then you get used to it. Toilet on the stairs Tiger Temple only one and that one is almost at the very top.
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Not so scary tiger cave in krabi, like the first few dozen steps up the mountain. But as you go up, the stairs become more comfortable and easy to walk on. It's important to take your time here. The rapid ascent can be very tiring, and this will ruin the feeling of visiting a sacred place. It’s better to walk slowly to Tiger Cave, keeping your breathing even and not overexerting yourself. Then you will have the strength to enjoy beautiful views, opening from a mountain peak.
At the top, they took care of the guests and installed a gazebo with benches and several washbasins with cool water. But there will definitely be pilgrims and tired tourists who have already managed to get up.
conclusions
For visitors, the Tiger Temple in Krabi is one of the first places to visit. It is not necessary to choose a paid excursion; after the walk you will hardly want to go to the hot springs. It’s cheaper and easier to get to the place by taxi, rented transport () or. This will allow you to save a lot, because visiting the place is completely free. There will be a lot of impressions. On the one hand, thousands of Buddhists come to this place, believing in the sacred energy of the cave and the mountain peak. On the other hand, the view from the mountain is indescribable; there is hardly anywhere else near Ao Nang the same observation deck, offering a panoramic view of most of the Krabi province.
Video filming of the temple from a quadcopter
This post was published at the beginning of 2012; starting around 2014, it became incredibly difficult to get into the tiger monastery as a volunteer, and in June 2016, news appeared in the media about cruel treatment and illegal trade in animals in the monastery. In 2016, the monastery was closed, and in 2017 it was again open to visitors.
- this is probably the only place in the world where such photos are tourist “pop” and every visitor to the temple has them. Once upon a time it was an ordinary Buddhist temple, of which there are thousands in Thailand, but ten years ago an orphan tiger cub found in the jungle was brought here, which the monks kept with them. Residents of the province learned about this and began to bring orphaned tiger cubs and other animals to the monastery. Now in Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua ( official name Tiger Temple) is home to about 30 adult tigers and almost a dozen cubs.
Tiger Monastery is located northwest of Bangkok in Kanchanaburi province. You can get to Kanchaburi from Bangkok from Mo Chit Station or from the Southern Bus Station (Sai Tai Mai). The bus runs every hour, costs 150 baht, and takes about 3 hours. From Kanchanaburi, just take bus 8203 at the bus station and ask the driver to stop at the Tiger temple (wat syA in Thai).
(c) El Yate. Use of the material is prohibited.
But I went there not as a tourist, but as a volunteer. I had no idea what kind of work this was, several years ago I watched a documentary about this monastery and an idealized picture remained in my memory - mountains, monks, tigers playing peacefully in the canyon... Reality hit me in the forehead, like an unexpected revelation door - high fence, protecting the temple from the world, bright advertising posters, several dozen tourists at the ticket office. “Is this it?” flashed in my head and immediately disappeared. The place was the same as in the film. Only in reality.
First of all, I was given a document in which I had to sign that I knew that working with wild animals is dangerous and fraught with injury and that I myself am responsible for all injuries received. Then you had to buy a green volunteer T-shirt and you could go into battle for an introductory tour.
There were six new volunteers and two more “experienced” ones who decided to extend their stay at Tiger Temple for a month or two.
Our working day began with a road filled with dangers:
And from cloven-hoofed guests. Every morning and evening there was always a horse, cow or goat on duty near the women’s cell:
Then we usually went to Tiger island, where we found cages, washed bowls there and took the cubs for a walk on leashes:
Tiger cubs are taught to use leashes from a very early age. Of course, they don’t like to walk on them; they resist and pull in the other direction.
There are three ways to direct them on the right path:
- turn the tiger’s head in the right direction and wait for him to go there;
- pick him up and carry him (but then the tiger cub starts screaming heart-rendingly);
- or wait until the big tigers are brought and the cubs, obeying their instincts, will run after them;
The kids are brought to the playground in front of the monastery and released to play freely. What they love most is running after each other and biting volunteers on the legs.
After the walk, they are taken to the meditation hall, where the first tourists arrive at 7.30 am. The older tigers are tied along the railing and allowed to play with rags that once served as clothing for the monks.
Why adult tigers then don’t react to monks as if they were toys remains a mystery to me.
Every morning, an extreme goat comes to the area in front of the monastery and relaxes and walks under the balcony on which tigers are tied. The tigers follow her every move with a greedy gaze and drool.
At this time, guests of the monastery feed the cubs milk from bottles, the Thai staff sets the table, and the monks meditate.
After breakfast we take the kittens back to their cages. While all the cubs interacted with tourists in the monastery, two remained in the cage. One of them was born with a cataract on his eye and now sees poorly, so he is not allowed to walk outside the tiger island, and the second kept him company so that it would not be boring.
Sometimes, if there is time, the tiger cubs are allowed to play outside near the cages.
Although they are small, they are already tigers, so you should not turn your back to them - they will immediately jump and bite you in the neck. You shouldn't crawl on the ground either, the tiger cub will decide that you are his prey and his hunting instincts will awaken in him.
While guests watch and participate in the morning exercise program, we wash the cages. The time spent doing this activity is extremely important for getting to know the adult tigers; when we pass by the cages, they remember our smells and get used to them.
Not all tigers living in the monastery work with people. Some of them, to put it mildly, do not quite adequately perceive bipeds.
This is, for example, the tiger Atom, he does not like crowds - if one person approaches his cage, he is calm, if two people approach him, he begins to get nervous, and if more than three, then the tiger becomes furious and spews out a stream of abuse, like the volcano Vesuvius.
There is also a feminist tigress, she doesn’t like men and growls very terribly at them, there are two inadequate tigress girlfriends, nicknamed by the staff “Crazy Girls” and the most unpredictable and dangerous tiger - Diamond, he “earned” the nickname “Fingeriter” for that he bit off the fingers of one monastery worker and one volunteer.
After 12.00, hell for an introvert sets in and the monastery becomes overrun with tourists. Adult tigers are tied to trees on the site in front of artificial waterfall and they, exhausted by the heat, allow themselves to be touched and photographed with them.
Several times I heard the same question from tourists: “What do they inject tigers with to make them so calm?” The answer is simple - the tigers are “intoxicated” with hearty food and heat, in which everyone is too lazy to move and, personally, I almost even envied them when they were lounging in the shade under a tree and snoring peacefully, and at that time I had to drive away temple visitors from the tigers and fight the urge to go over to them and go to bed.
Tiger Monastery has become very popular over the past five years and tourist place- keeping so many tigers costs a lot big money, so even entrance tickets to the temple are not cheap, and each program requires additional expenses.
There are three excursion programs in total:
- morning and afternoon exercises, where you can play with adult tigers, pulling out from under their noses a “string with a bow”, which is a two-meter stick with an inflated bag;
— feeding the tiger cubs, which consists of 45 minutes of lisping and playing with the cubs;
— watching the evening games of tigers in the canyon, where the Thai staff shows miracles of fearlessness, chasing the tigers along the canyon with the same sticks and bags.
Afternoon volunteer work was also divided into three types:
— work in the canyon, where it was necessary to explain to tourists where to go and what to do in order to take pictures with tigers;
- work at the waterfall, where it was necessary to sell tickets for programs;
— work in a cage with tiger cubs, where it was necessary to help tourists take photos and monitor cleanliness. This is the cutest and most enjoyable program where you can take pictures of striped babies.
At the end of the day everyone is tired:
The monastery closes for visitors at 16.15. At the same time, food is brought to the local buffalos, the tourists disperse and our working day ends.
On the way home, to the women's cell, we meet various animals that inhabit the hospitable monastery. This is a civet, he was hunted and almost killed, and now he does not like people and lives in a cage in a dark corner, from which he almost never leaves:
And these are carefree, free animals:
After the last visitors leave and the monastery gates close, a happy time of peace and quiet ensues. Volunteers have a little time to rest before the evening meditation, some spend it talking to each other, but I was so tired of speaking English that I happily spend this time in my cell processing photographs.
Evening meditation for volunteers began at 19.00. We were asked to come at the very end of the meditation, for Vipassana, when the monks turn off the lights. This was justified by the fact that they do not want to see women. In general, the attitude of Buddhist monks towards women is very ambiguous. Monks voluntarily give up sex and immerse themselves in meditation, but at the same time they demand that women follow their rules, while they, not women, are responsible for giving up sexual thoughts. One of the monks explained this point by saying that compliance with certain rules is not a requirement, but a request for help and cooperation.
In February 1999, they received their first tiger cub. His mother was killed by poachers, and they wanted to make a stuffed animal of him for a wealthy businessman from Bangkok. At that time, the monks did not yet have experience working with predators, and the tiger cub did not live long. But over time, they learned to nurse sick tigers. This is how the Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua) was created.
How to get to the Tiger Monastery
In Bangkok, near the Victory Monument (BTS station - Victory Monument) there is a small bus station. From there you can take a minibus for 120 baht to the city of Kanchanaburi. The drive takes about 3 hours. Departure every 30 minutes. You can tell the driver the name of your hotel and he will take you to it. We got to the city when it got dark and the first thing we did was look for a place to stay for the night. We got out on the main street, where almost all the local cheap hostels, guesthouses and bars are concentrated. Young people from all over the world come here. There is a very friendly atmosphere here. Everyone is positive, relaxed and cheerful. Within 20 minutes we were checking into our Thai Guesthouse room. They charged us 400 baht per night. You can rent it cheaper if you don't need it hot water. Bar prices are affordable and there is live music almost everywhere. No matter how hard we tried, we never met a single Russian-speaking tourist.
February 22, 2012, 10:21 pmWat Pha Luang Ta Bua or Tiger Monastery. The monastery is located in Western Thailand in the Saiyok district of Kanchanaburi province near the border with Burma. The monastery was founded in 1994 as a forest reserve for various animals. 
Although the monastery has existed only recently, the history of such an unusual sanctuary has already become overgrown with legends. According to one of them, which penetrated the European press, the monk Acharn Phusit, who lived with several novices in the jungle, once during meditation saw a huge tiger in front of him. The predator approached the monk and prostrated himself at his feet. Seeing this as a sign, Acharn Phusit founded a monastery-shelter for tigers at the place of his meeting with the owner of the jungle. 
The history of the tiger monastery began in August 1994, when the wealthy Thai Hong family donated its land plot near the village of Phu Mai Daeng to one of the most revered Buddhist preachers in Thailand, 80-year-old Luangta Mahabua, for the construction of a new monastery. 
The Venerable Luangta sent one of his followers, Acharna Phusit Hanthitharo, to take his place. Having come to the conclusion that the donated site was quite suitable for creating a monastery, the Monk Acharn assembled a team of novices. The monastery became known in the area as a shelter for all the orphaned and crippled inhabitants of the jungle. The first to enter the monastery was a shot down wild chicken, then the monk picked up a shot down boar near the road, recovered, and the wild boar left to return with his entire family. 
Now in the monastery reserve, wild boars, striped piglets, deer, wild goats, chickens and peacocks, which like to build nests near the temple, gibbons, and even domestic buffaloes, cows and horses, which were abandoned by the owners, have found shelter. 
Gradually, caring for sick or injured animals became the monks' daily work. And what is most surprising is that tigers began to come to the monastery. 
The first tiger - a young cat a few months old - appeared in the monastery only in February 1999. Her mother was killed by poachers, and she herself passed from hand to hand. Some time later, two tiger cubs, confiscated from poachers, were brought to the monastery. The first pets of the monastery were fed by a dog. The forests of Kanchanaburi province are home to the largest population of tigers in Thailand. Hunting for them is prohibited in the country, and a significant part of the jungle belonging to them is included in national parks, but neither one nor the other stops poachers. As a result of poaching, small tigers often end up in the hands of people who do not know what to do with them. 
The appearance of a shelter monastery opened up a worthy solution: the tiger cub should be taken to the monks - holy people know better. 
None of the monks had any experience with tigers; everything had to be learned through practice. Nevertheless, in all the years of the presence of striped guests in the monastery, there has never been a case where they attacked the monks or guests of the monastery. 
And the monastery itself, while remaining a Buddhist sanctuary, a place of pious reflection and meditation, at the same time gradually turned into one of the main centers for the conservation and return to nature of the Indochinese tiger. Since then, more than a dozen tiger cubs have been born at the Tiger Temple - a considerable number for an endangered species. 
Now there are about 20 tigers living in the monastery. Exact number It is impossible to name: some striped pupils leave the shelter, returning to the forest, and people bring others to replace them. They participate in Everyday life monastery, sometimes they come into the church for services - the parishioners are already accustomed to this. Sometimes they “meditate” with the monks: while they sit in the lotus position and indulge in pious thoughts, the tigers lie at their feet, look somewhere into the distance (or maybe deep into themselves) and think about something of their own, the tiger. 
Tigers (except for the smallest ones) are allowed to roam freely around the premises and courtyard only on special occasions: this is unsafe for pilgrims visiting the monastery, who, naturally, have no experience of communicating with tigers, and for other four-legged and feathered guests. Although monastery tigers do not show aggressive tendencies. The fact is that Buddhist monks reasoned in a Buddhist way: if a predator is properly fed and educated, this will help him curb aggression and accumulate merit for future rebirths. 1. It is very important that the animal does not associate food with killing. Food is what is in the bowl. And those who walk around are living creatures, like a tiger, and they want to live the same way. 2. The predator should not smell the meat. Tigers cannot be vegetarians, but you can feed them in such a way that nothing makes them think that the food in the bowl is killed animals. The meat is thoroughly washed, boiled and mixed with cat or dog food. Tiger cubs are fed baby food. 3. It is forbidden for an animal to taste blood. Tigers in the monastery are not beaten, not teased, are not encouraged to show aggression, and they carefully ensure that visitors do not provoke little tiger cubs and that they do not accidentally feel blood by biting a stupid tourist. In the entire history of the monastery, there has never been a case where a tiger attacked a visitor or a monk, but now the world-famous Tiger Temple is actively visited - more than 300 tourists visit here every day. 
Tigers spend some of their time in spacious cages. But every afternoon, the monks take their pets for a walk in a small gorge - “Tiger Island” - a vast fenced area next to the monastery. The “island” was conceived as a place for semi-free tigers, where they could live at their own discretion, communicate with each other and reproduce. But for now necessary work not finished, it serves as a platform for walks and outdoor games, without which a tiger cub cannot grow up to be a real ruler of the jungle. The monks whose job it is to care for the tigers gave them names. They play with them and wash them, give them massages, make sure there are no fights and pet the big cats. 
The tigers are cared for and looked after by monks and international volunteers. Most of the time, tigers are in the canyon, where they swim in the morning, sleep during the day, and fool around in the water again in the evening. 
In the morning, after bathing, the tigers are taken upstairs to the tourists. At the same time, monks and volunteers watch all these actions quite closely. After meeting the tigers, tourists are divided into several groups and sent to accompany the tigers back to the canyon. There, numerous guests of the monastery, separated from the tigers by purely symbolic ribbons and visors, can admire the tigers. The temple has become a place of constant pilgrimage for tourists. Taking pictures with tigers. At the same time, there are about 10 adult tigers on the site where filming with tourists takes place. You can touch them, take pictures with them as a souvenir, and for a special fee the tiger will lay its head on your lap. All cats have a “quiet hour” during the day, and besides, it’s quite hot in Thailand: the tigers, sleepy and exhausted from the heat, generously allow themselves to be petted and photographed, enjoying the coolness of the canyon and the water that the monks pour on them. 
A little further away you can pet the young and very tiny tiger cubs, play with them and take pictures. Tiger kittens play the same way as ordinary kittens, sometimes they “hunt” wild boars from behind a tree, which are four times larger than the kids. 
Tourism allows the monastery to receive money for the maintenance and feeding of animals and for the construction of a new complex where animals will live practically in freedom. The same purposes are served by the performances that the monks, together with their pets, sometimes stage for local residents. They are always a success, although no one specially trains the tigers or teaches them any tricks. Such shows increase the flow of donations to the monastery - the only source of food for both the monks and all the animals in their care. But Thai peasants are not a rich people, their modest gifts are not enough either to complete the construction of Tiger Island or to organize a national park in the surrounding area. Therefore, a special fund has been created at the monastery, collecting larger donations throughout Thailand and beyond. Thanks to the program on the Animal Planet channel, the monastery became known throughout the world, which helped raise the necessary funds to buy out the surrounding lands and maintain the animals. 
In addition, thanks to the wide popularity of the monastery, volunteer assistants from different countries and zoological specialists. “When people saw this program on your channel all over the world, they began to actively help me, so thank you, Animal Planet!” says Akarn Bushit. 
The temple has become a center for breeding tigers in Thailand and restoring their population. While the cubs are being raised in the monastery, they cannot be released into wildlife. The monks hope that in the near future, when the tigers live in a large, fenced-in jungle area, the new cubs will grow up away from people and will be able to learn skills that will help them survive in the wild. This is especially important because there are only about two hundred Corbett tigers left in Thailand, one of the rarest subspecies. Those who visited the Tiger Temple and had close contact with these charming cats become their ardent admirers and defenders. The abbot’s motto reads: “Why can’t we live together? The same blood flows in our veins, and it is red.” 
Updated 18/05/12 17:01: The source of most of the photographs and the story about being in the monastery as a volunteer can be found here: http://www.free-writer.ru/pages/tiger_templ.html
