A temple based out of Thailand is getting a lot of unwanted attention as of late.
Being accused of illegally breeding and trafficking tigers within the temple itself, monks were hesitant to let authorities in on their secrets. But as everyone should know, all the authorities have to do is return with a court order and they can enter the premises whether the monks want them to or not.
And that’s exactly what they did…
Earlier this week, authorities found 137 live tigers on the premises. The animals were scooped up by officials and will be transported to animal refugees where they can live for the time being. During the transportation process, the animals were sedated for the safety of the men and women who transported them.
Following the findings, authorities continued their investigation. As a part of perhaps an even more disturbing discovery, authorities found 40 lifeless tiger cubs inside of a kitchen freezer at the same temple where the monks had claimed to have nothing to do with the alleged illegal tiger breeding and trafficking.
"We found 40 tiger cubs today, they were aged about one or two days when they died but we don't quite know yet how long they have been dead," police told the AFP news agency.
There is not yet any indication on how long the animals have been dead for, but further investigations may provide the answer.
Despite the confusion about why the lifeless carcasses were being stored in the freezer in a kitchen, one can be pretty well assured that it wasn’t for the purpose of eating. Instead, there are black markets where parts of the animal’s body, such as their bones, can go toward “medical research” to allegedly cure diseases.
The temple is taking a very active stance against all of the allegations on their Facebook page, defending their position against angry commenters and noting that the conditions at the temple were better for the tigers than the conditions at the facility where they will be sent to.
Source: BBC (1), (2), Facebook
