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Written by Richard Barrow
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Friday, 05 May 2006 |
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In Kanchanaburi, there is an unusual temple that has the nickname of "Tiger Temple". The real name is Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno. The monks at this temple have a reputation of looking after stray tigers. They started with a baby tiger cub but now the tigers outnumber the monks two to one. During the night, the tigers are kept in cages. But during the day they are taken for a walk to a nearby canyon. Here, tourists are allowed to interact with the tigers in a limited way. For a 300 baht donation, you are allowed to have your picture taken as many times as you like sitting with the tigers. The donations are being collected so that they will have enough money to build a better environment for the tigers on a small man-made island.
There is a "fence" which the tourists are not allowed to cross
alone. I shot this video from the safe side of the line. If you want
your picture taken with the tigers, someone will lead you by your hand
to different tigers in turn. These volunteers will also take your
pictures for you. They will also throw in a few extra close-ups of the
tigers.
Visit our sister site at thaitravelblogs.com for more information and pictures about the Tiger Temple.
A better quality version of this video can also be downloaded free of charge from the download section.
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