The police investigating Thailand’s now infamous “Tiger Temple” found what they believe was a slaughterhouse and tiger holding facility used in a suspected animal trafficking network.
The discovery is the latest in a growing scandal surrounding the Buddhist temple, which was a popular tourist attraction that charged admission for visitors to take photos with the tigers and walk them on leashes. Last week, the authorities removed more than 137 tigers from the temple grounds and also found 40 dead tiger cubs in a freezer and 20 more preserved in jars.
Acting on a tip, the police raided a home about 50 km from the temple in Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand and found four live tigers and a dozen empty cages, said police Col. Montri Pancharoen, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, which oversaw the raid. Investigators believe the house, in an isolated area and surrounded by tall fences, served as “a holding facility and slaughterhouse”, he said. “We believe it was used by the “Tiger Temple” to hold live tigers before slaughtering them for their skins, meat and bones to be exported outside the country, or sent to restaurants in Thailand that serve tiger meat to tour groups,” he said.
The house had a work area with a large chopping board and a variety of knives which authorities believe served as the slaughter area, he said. The police detained two caretakers at the facility, said Montri.
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