Inside the disputed Tiger Temple in Thailand

Contrary to my visits in 1999 and 2006, my most recent visit to the temple was a negative experience:

In the meantime, the temple has become a mass tourism destination. The entrance fee just for the temple is 600 Baht (15 €) per head now, and even a child of 18 months age has to pay the same. Only Thai citizens are exempt, they pay 300 Baht. Please bear in mind that keeping wild animals including tigers (which is illegal in Thailand) is very costly. At the same time, Thai authorities are doing their best to delay legalizing this location as long as possible, allowing them to make more money by demanding a large portion of the temple’s income from tourist visits under the table.

And last, but not least:

There’s nothing wrong in maintaining a temple for orphaned animals, and also earning the necessary income by charging entrance fees to support the temple and the animals is ok. I do however criticise local authorities for keeping the temple’s activities illegal. The only purpose for doing so is to gain access to a large part of the temple’s income, so that unscrupulous local officers can fill their pockets – and that’s certainly not ok.