Taming tigers in Thailand’s Tiger Temple: Is it safe for tourists?
When William Blake penned down about ‘Tiger’, he did say: Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright, In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? People can interpret those lines in any form of philosophy or psychology, but the simple matter of fact is that, probably Blake was also marveling at god’s creation by looking at this powerful and splendid creature. Not for one moment did the poet imagine it to be weak, loving or tender. It was always a symbol of force, might and all conquering raw passion and energy. So, very rightly, Blake says that it is a creature to roam with majesty ‘in the forests of the night’. But then the ‘Tiger Temple’ in Thailand is a place where you find these mighty creatures roam with unabated freedom among human company. Tigers in this temple have been bred by the monks and have always spent their lives in the quarry that is adjacent to the temple. While the whole thing started way back in 1999 when the temple found an abandoned tiger cub, it slowly lead to the locals giving the temples a few more cubs that were found in the surrounding forests. Now the temple has nearly 35 tigers, many of them full grown and as powerful as any. The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, 100 miles north of Bangkok and is a major tourist destination, especially those who seek the thrill of walking with this stunning beast of nature. But there are growing concerns that this unnatural proximity might eventually lead to a casualty which is better avoided than later regretted. An incident very recently where a tiger walking beside a monk chose to turn back and speed towards a bunch of British tourists has caused a few flutters. Many believe that despite it not leading to any major incident on that day, the inevitability of someone losing a limb or even life one day is too obvious to see. For long many believed that these tigers were drugged, removed of teeth and claws and are hence totally harmless. But nothing is more distant form the truth than that. They have always been in human contact, since their very birth and hence feel no threat in human company. For the tigers in the Tiger Temple, we are a natural part of their surroundings that they have no necessity to attack. This is nothing new as we have seen famous environmentalists hang out with mountain Gorillas and tame be friends with the Lions that have grown up with humans. This is not to say that visiting them is a good idea though. A photo with a Tiger sleeping in your lap for $15 is not really the best snap you will ever get. Sure, these Tigers will never ever attack the monks that they grew up with, that is understandable and acceptable. But tourists are strangers to these wild cats and they might in one moment take anyone out. Visiting the temple is fine, but going that close might be going a bit too far. As Blake did say, they are at the end of the day, mighty force of forests and jungles; not your pet cats!