Save the Tigers

A one point in my life, not so long ago, one of my private names among friends was Julie Twelve Cats. I was not a seeker of cats, but a taker-in of cats. The one who would. Perhaps therefore, I *really* identify with this story. :)

Kanchanaburi, Thailand -- Ten monks taking care of 10 tigers at an isolated Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand, made for great viewing over Animal Planet in September last year.

Abbot Pra Achan Bhusit Chan Khantitharo has stopped having monks take care of the tigers as the turnover of monks at the temple is high and it is better for the tigers to have constant care from the same people.

But when Temple of the Tigers director Andrew Barron revisited the temple in May, he saw many changes. The temple now had only one abbot and two monks, aged four and eight, taking care of 11 tigers and five cubs. A tiger can weigh 180kg and a cub is the size of a donkey.

Ponchai, 8, bathes and cleans the cubs.

Why did the monks leave?

“The nature of monks is that they’ll stay at a monastery until they wake up one morning and decide to go to a different monastery.

“Monks live transient lives; they come and go,” Barron said.

Abbot Phra Achan Bhusit Chan Khantitharo no longer relies on monks to look after the tigers. He has hired 15 villagers to look after them.

But how did the tigers end up in a temple?

About a decade ago, some locals brought two cubs to the monastery, hoping the monks would take care of the animals. Apparently, some hunters had killed the mother tiger and tried to poison the cubs.

Over the years, more cubs were brought in.