In Thailand, you can find a place that you never dreamed of. If you ever thought that watching wildlife themed TV shows and visiting the zoo are the only ways you can see tigers, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua is the place where you actually can pet them. The Theravada Buddhist temple is the only place in the world where all the feline lovers can walk around tigers, pet them, rub their bellies and play with them.
The Theravada Temple is located in Western Thailand, in the Saiyok district of the Kanchanaburi province. It was established in 1994 as a forest sanctuary for several wild species of animals. In 1995, the temple received the Golden Jubilee Buddha Image, made of 80 kg of gold.
The story of the tigers begins in 1999, when the temple receives the first tiger cub. The cub was found by the villagers, but sadly, it died soon after. In the following years, abandoned tiger cubs were given to the temple so that the monks would take care of them. In time, more than 21 cubs were born at the temple and the latest statistics indicate about 17 fully grown tigers live in the protected area.
The tigers were never DNA tested, but most of the people think that they are Indochinese Tigers, except for one - Mek, a Bengal Tiger. There are some beliefs that some of them can be Malayan Tigers or cross breeds. Here, the tigers are being fed cooked chicken, beef and dry cat food. The Thai monks, some international volunteers and the local staff are constantly taking care of them. The staff are also guiding the tourists and they are keeping the tigers under control. The admission fee is 500 Baht (about 145 US Dollars), and the representatives of the temple are claiming that a part of the funds are saved, for building a new and larger tiger sanctuary.
Image credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
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