Edwin Wiek, Founder and Director of
Wildlife Foundation Friends of Thailand, a wildlife rescue centre near Hua Hin,
has been charged along with two other conservationists over remarks in a news
article in the Thai Post in April 2009. In the article, accusations were made
concerning illegal possession of and trade in tigers at the temple, and animal
torture. If convicted, he may face a custodial sentence.
Tourists flock to the Tiger Temple to have their photo
taken with the tigers that are kept there, parting with anything from £10-£100
for the privilege. However, undercover investigations by British wildlife
charity Care for the Wild International (CWI), carried out from 2005-2008,
revealed evidence of tigers being regularly beaten with wooden sticks and clubs,
having urine sprayed into their eyes and faces, being forced to sit in direct
sunshine for hours on end, and being kept in poor conditions with inadequate
feeding. CWI’s 2008 report “Exploiting the Tiger” also uncovered evidence of
illegal trade and breeding of tigers at the temple. Tigers are reported to be
extremely lethargic during photo sessions, leading to concerns they may be
drugged.
Examination of tiger images from the temple over recent
years suggests that individual animals at the temple have come and gone over
time, although no permit for this has ever been issued by the Thai Department of
National Parks, Plants and Wildlife. The temple was declared illegal by the
authorities in 2002, but without a suitable facility to take the tigers, the
Thai authorities allowed them to remain in the temple’s “care”. A zoo license
was issued for a piece of land adjacent to the temple in 2009, but to date none
of the tigers have been moved there. Although the exact source of the tigers at
the temple is unknown, all are thought to be hybrids, and as such they cannot be
used in any conservation or rehabilitation programme.
“The arrest of Edwin Wiek is a travesty”, said Mark Jones,
Programmes Director at CWI. “The evidence shows the Tiger Temple has been
abusing animals and trading illegally for years, in order to generate profits.
Yet it is the conservationists who try and expose these activities who end up in
the dock. That’s why CWI is helping to fund Edwin’s defence against the charges.
We can only hope this helps to expose the Tiger Temple’s false conservation
claims".
For further
information, please contact:
Rebecca
Taylor
Campaigns and Media
Manager
Care for the Wild
International
mailto: Rebecca@careforthewild.com |
