Bangkok - Thailand's controversial "Tiger Temple" has been banned from charging tourists to visit dozens of big cats in their care, the parks department said Saturday, following a dispute between monks and officials over the welfare of the animals.
Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua in Thailand's western Kanchanaburi province has long proved a hit among visitors who flock there to visit the monks and be photographed next to their huge feline pets.
But the temple has long had a controversial reputation among animal rights groups and Thai wildlife officials who say it is breaking the law in keeping the cats.
Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation say the temple has been keeping the animals without the proper paperwork and have vowed to seize them, sparking standoffs in recent weeks between officials and angry monks blocking their way.
DNP officials conducted a headcount on Friday, discovering 147 tigers in the monk's care.
Officials had earlier indicated they would take the animals, despite concerns that the department might not have adequate facilities to look after such a large number of cats.
On Saturday the DNP released a statement saying they had reached a deal with the monks allowing them to continue keeping the tigers under certain conditions including a ban on any further breeding or profiting from the cats.
AFP
