Kanchanaburi Part III

The beginning of our third day in Kanchanaburi was spent sleeping. The hiking and the falls from the day before had worn us out. Around noon we surfaced and got breakfast (more banana pancakes) and then went to book a trip out to the Tiger Temple. For 120 Baht a person we would be shuttled to and from the Tiger Temple from our Guest House. And we were warned not to where any bright colors or strong perfume. "Tigers no like." The Temple has a name in Thai, Wat Pa Luangta Bua, but even the Thais all seem to refer to it as the Tiger Temple. The name comes from the Abbot of the temple, who started taking in orphaned tigers from the nearby forests. There are now more than eighteen tigers (and a leopard) living on the grounds of the Temple, and it is a major tourist attraction. The temple also started taking in orphaned wild animals of all types, and its grounds are now teeming with animals ranging from wild pigs to wild water buffalo. The Temple is about an hours Sawng Thaew ride from where we were staying, at the base of one of the several small mountain ranges that surround Kanchanaburi. We arrived around three thirty, which was fine because the tigers apparently only come out after two thirty. My guess is that they have to be well fed first. After paying a 300 Baht mandatory donation to the temple and its Tigers, one is pretty much set free to walk about the temple grounds. We were perhaps ten feet past the front gate when we spotted some Asian short-tailed deer and small wild horses. During the afternoon the Tigers, or at least those that have been behaving themselves around tourists, are taken into a canyon that has only one exit and entrance. At the bottom of this canyon the majority of the tigers are put on chains and allowed to roam as much as their relatively short chains will let them. Some are allowed off the chains, if the monks are around. Tourists are allowed down into the canyon where they can get pictures taken with the tigers. A volunteer leads you from tiger to tiger, while another volunteer takes your picture with your own camera. It seemed to be an efficient system that kept the tourists (all Farang) happy, as well as the tigers unruffled.

































I would be lying to you if I said I approached these dozen tigers without a little trepidation. Being in the presence of an animal that is well documented to be one of the most efficient predators in the world is always a little intimidating. The fact that there was nothing between me and them that would really mean anything if they did decide to taste test me, made the adrenaline pump all the more. But most of the tigers where perfectly happy to continue napping through all of this, and those that weren't were generally well behaved. I was unmolested during my time amongst the tigers, and seeing two very little girls straddle a very awake tiger that perhaps weighed three times what they did made me feel a little silly for being on edge around them. We stuck around the canyon for a little while, watching tourists interact with the tigers. One tiger, the male (guessing) who was unchained, became rather ornery all of a sudden and began growling and making a bit of a ruckus. Of the three dozen or more tourists down in the canyon at the time I'd say half of them literally froze when the tiger growled. It was an impressive noise that sounded as if it were coming from surround sound speakers. In short, it was LOUD! After leaving the tigers (and most of the tourists) in the canyon, we walked the rest of the grounds where we saw dozens of wild pigs, cows, peacocks, roosters, and water buffalo. There were also some large cages that housed more tigers, a leopard, and a large bear-like sloth creature that was sort of difficult to identify. Not long after, the tigers and their entourage of volunteer handlers, monks, and tourists made the walk from the canyon to their cages up above us. They had to walk right by us, but before they could, a monk began picking up sticks and stones and hurled them at the other animals so as to make them get out of the way. Apparently the tigers will lose interest in going to their cages and attempt to nab an extra snack if given the opportunity. After the tigers had passed us, the rest of the animals, and we're talking a lot of animals, bum rushed the dirt roadway we had been standing on, for feeding time. After watching the pigs and peacocks duel over some grain on the ground, it was time to head home. It was a very interesting place, in all regards. There were several volunteers there who were farang, and I asked how they ended up there. The temple apparently takes farang volunteers from all over the world on a regular basis. The man I spoke to had been there for three months after a friend visited and told him about it. I asked if the tigers were always so docile and tame. The response was, "Generally, unless they get a bit nippy. You get a few bites and scratches."
Sounds like a cool place to volunteer. I'm considering it.