Tiger tourism sends out bad message

Tiger tourism sends out bad message

A Dutch wildlife advocate is calling for an end to the exploitation of tigers for commercial purposes in Thailand.

Chris Slappendel, 45, said the use of tigers in Thailand's tourism industry sets a poor example.

"The government should realise that tiger tourism is having a bad effect on Thailand," he said.

"They should not be proud of tiger tourism."

Mr Slappendel is travelling through 31 countries in Asia and the Middle East where tigers live or once thrived.

His project, called "Tiger Trail", began in May and is aimed at raising awareness about the big cat through the use of social media and press exposure.

The Dutch activist expects to take six months to complete the journey.

He arrived in Thailand last week and plans to spend 12 days here, where he said exploitation of tigers is critical compared to other places he had visited.

He posted photographs on the TigerTrail facebook page, taken in Si Racha and Kanchanaburi. They depict tiger temples, tiger zoos and tiger shows which he said are various ways of exploiting tigers for commercial purposes.

The Wat Pa Luangta Maha Bua in Kanchanaburi alone keeps as many as 99 tigers. Tourists can feed the tigers or take photos with them. The temple charges a 300-baht entrance fee for Thais and 600 baht for foreign tourists.

"Tourists do that [pose with tigers] because that's what they come for. The tiger is a mystic animal. But it's giving Thailand a bad image to the world. It's setting a bad example," the activist said.

The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department inspected the temple last year.

It told the temple to bring under control the tiger population but conceded the living conditions there were better than in state-owned zoos.

Mr Slappendel said tiger tourism could form a misleading image of tigers as being domestic animals, which could eventually affect tigers in the wild.

Mr Slappendel said he came across tiger cubs being raised in a way that is similar to tiger farming.

"The Thai government hosted a Cites [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora] conference but it allows tiger tourism to continue," he said.

In 2012, Cites delegates called on China and other countries to ban tiger farms because they undermine conservation efforts.

Mr Slappendel called for awareness and better law enforcement in Thailand to protect tigers.

Thailand has 1,328 tigers at zoos nationwide.

The number of wild animals, however, is much lower at around 200.

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