The Thai authorities confiscated tigers in 2016 from a Buddhist Temple in Bangkok which was a tourist attraction. According to the reports, more than half of the tigers which were confiscated have died due to a viral disease as their immune systems were weakened because of inbreeding. The temple allowed tourists to take selfies with the tigers and also bottle-fed the cubs. Due to the global pressure, the authorities were forced to remove around 150 tigers over wildlife trafficking. The temple was reportedly accused of links to wildlife trafficking and animal abuse. 

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'No immune system'

An official from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conversation reported that after the tigers were confiscated they were taken to two state-run sanctuaries where they soon become vulnerable to canine distemper virus. Department deputy director-general, Prakit Vongsrivattanakul alleged that when they took the tigers in, they noted that the tigers had no immune system due to inbreeding. As soon as the symptoms came up the treatment of the tigers was also started. The figure for the number of tigers that had died was not reported. 

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The tiger temple

Back in May 2016, wildlife authorities in Thailand raided a Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi province which had more than 100 tigers captivated. The temple promoted itself as a wildlife sanctuary but after investigation, they were suspected to have links to wild trafficking and animal abuse. The authorities were in a tug-of-war since 2001 to bring the tigers under state control. The monks of the temple were allegedly accused of illegally breeding the tigers and some animals were also reported to be drugged. The department of the national parks was able to confiscate the animals as they had issued a court warrant against the temple. They also reported that the international pressure concerning the illegal wildlife trafficking played a huge part in raiding the temple. Thailand reportedly has also been a hub for illicit trafficking of wildlife and forest products. Exotic birds and many endangered species can also be found on sale in markets. An animal welfare law in 2015 that the government introduced aimed at curbing animal abuse but it was alleged that the authorities did not enforce the legislation properly. 

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