Thai Tigers – Pets, or predators?

Venue: Tiger Temple, Bangkok, Thailand

Yeah! I recently petted a tiger in absolute amusement, but candidly at that moment I missed a heartbeat and contrived a smile for a perfect picture. That moment with the big cats firmly remains etched an integral part of my memoirs.

Upon getting to the Tiger Temple, I was required to sign a disclaimer stating that if I were injured or killed during my visit, I won't hold the  monks or the temple liable for any damages.  Dress code requirements: 1. No red or bright coloured clothing.  2. No flowing skirts or scarves. 3. No clothing made out of materials that produce audible noise. 

We were then escorted to the area where the tigers were laying about in the sun.  There were a few monks at the spot watching over the tigers and also controlling the flow of tourists.  You are permitted to go and pose with  each tiger (crouching beside or sitting next to) and the volunteers move you in an orderly fashion.

My first impression: I was in complete awe about the whole thing.  Even now, when I see my small frame flanked by the enormous 200 kg.+  big cat, it triggers something weird going on, how can they not react at all.  I figured,  and also shared by many, that the tigers were and had to be drugged to stay docile. Just seems impossible that they are not drugged, even though guides around there insist they weren’t.  There is a lot of confusion.

Are we to believe that they don’t have the hunting instincts? Why are these tigers so tolerant of human activity around them?  Perceptions vary.

It is hard to accept that tigers are displayed as tame creatures that could actually be damaging their identity.They are gorgeous, strong and scary.  The spectacle of a few cats, of course the big ones, on chains is a little depressing.  I was thrilled and chilled by the prospect of close contact with big cat and having photographed next to it, an opportunity which I would not have preferred to miss.  

The tigers appear in good health, but there seems to be something missing that they would allow so much human contact.  When asked the guide if the big cats are sedated at the Tiger temple, he told point blank that they had not been administered drugs.  On the contrary, he told that they were brought to the temple as cubs and as such they don’t have the hunting instincts.

Somewhere I wish to reason out that tigers living in harmony with humans doesn’t sound natural.  Tigers shouldn’t be kept as pets, because they aren’t.  Can these ‘pets’  be returned to the wild?  Can they restore the hunting instincts? They are so much conditioned to be around humans. It is challenging to discard the fact that tiger and ferocity can be split.

Many a time when we drive to wild life sanctuaries in Karnataka - Kabini, Nagarhole, Bandipur….to have a glimpse of “animal sighting”, we don’t even sight the big cat’s footmarks.  The jungle lodges staff would mindlessly convince us that they sighted the wild animal “only the previous day”.   Well, when compared to such experiences, a visit to the Thailand Tiger Temple comprehensively erases your “failed” memories.

Again, though at the risk of being redundant, are the big cats in the Temple really drugged?  I hope and wish it is wrong.   Well, the debate gets endless.

These cats are, doubtlessly, a highly-sought-after-tourist-attraction.

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