Thailand's controversial Tiger Temple SHUT DOWN for keeping animals without a permit ...

... and tigers must be handed over by Friday

• The tiger sanctuary has been told their 147 cats must be handed over
•  Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yanasampanno does not have permits for the tigers
• The animals will be rehoused at breeding centres in Thailand
• Animal rights activists have been campaigning against the treatment of the chained tigers posing with tourists for photos for years 

By Becky Pemberton For Mailonline

Published: 21 April 2015

From now on there will be a lot less facebook photos with people cuddling up to tigers on their Thailand holidays.   The famous Tiger Temple just outside of Bangkok, popular with tourists for being able to interact with the big cats, has been forced to shut due to keeping the animals without permits.

Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yanasampanno has been told that their 147 tigers must be handed over to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation by Friday or they will be seized.  The news will no doubt please animal rights activists who have been campaigning against the mistreatment of the big cats at the sanctuary. 

End of Tiger Temple! The temple, just outside of Bangkok, has been told all animals must be handed over by Friday as the monks do not have permits for them

The Bangkok Post reported that the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation's Department Chief, Nipon Chotiban, had issued the closure following a raid in February.  The investigation was launched following multiple complaints of trafficking endangered species, illegally selling animals and possible mistreatment of the animals. 

Although the results of the raid have not revealed to the public, the chief has said the temple did not have permits for the cats.  Chotiban says that the tigers are to be moved to the Khao Pra Thap Chang Wildlife Breeding Centre in Chom Bung district and Khao Son Wildlife Breeding Centre in Suan Phung district in Ratchaburi province.

Animal rights activists have been complaining against the treatment of the tigers for years

The carnivores at the temple are hand-raised from an early age by monks in an attempt to control their aggressive behaviour

Having a picture with tigers is a popular tourist attraction at the Kanchanaburi  sanctuary

Thai Visa News reported the Wildlife Conservation Office director, Tuanjai Nujdamrong, said: 'As Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua does not have proper cages and clear animal nurturing facilities, we can see that the temple has no intention to open as a public zoo. 

'Therefore, they did not receive a reply when they sought a licence extension from the department and their [former] licence is no longer valid.' 

The tiger sanctuary, ran by Buddhist monks, has been open near Kanchanaburi since 1994. 

It has been shrouded by controversy and numerous complaints about the treatment of the chained up tigers. 

The tigers will be rehoused at the Khao Pra Thap Chang Wildlife Breeding Centre in Chom Bung and Khao Son Wildlife Breeding Centre in Ratchaburi province

A Buddhist monk gives a tiger a drink from a bottle at Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yanasampanno

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