Tiger, tiger burning up! Big cats at Thai temple do their best to beat stifling heat

• Beautiful big cats pictured at Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
• Around 100 live alongside Buddhist monks in controversial centre
• Fearsome creatures able to get remarkably close to their keepers

By Steve Robson
PUBLISHED:  May 2013
When temperatures reaching a stifling 37 degrees, even these well-adapted tigers need to find a way of escaping the heat.

The beautiful big cats are pictured at the controversial Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, where around 100 live alongside Buddhist monks.

Many were brought to the reserve as cubs and have grown up around humans. But even so these pictures show just how remarkably close these fearsome creatures can get to their keepers.

Cuddling up: In this remarkable photograph, an adult tiger and a Buddhist monk embrace in a seemingly mutual display of affection

Feeding time: These beautiful creatures remain docile enough to be fed from the hands of a monk

Chilling out: With temperatures soaring to more than 37 degrees in Thailand, the tiger sprawls out to make the best of the heat

An adult tiger is, at first, sprawled out on the ground sunbathing, but then cuddles up close to one of his fellow residents in the shade.

Elsewhere, a young tiger was spotted happily playing around in a pool of water with a fascinating new toy. 

Along with soaring temperatures, the humidity in Thailand can reach an exhausting 90 per cent in the summer months.

Founded in 1994, the Tiger Temple has attracted criticism from some wildlife groups who claim it is an illegal breeding facility and that the tigers are not sufficiently cared for.

Splashing around: One of the younger tigers cools off in the water and has fun with a new toy 

Majestic: The Tiger Temple was founded in 1994 and takes in abandoned cubs whose mothers have often been killed by poachers

Chewing the fat: The young tiger uses its powerful jaws to take a bite out of its new toy

Criticism: The Tiger Temple has denied claims that the animals are not well-cared for and insists it is a legitimate conservation centre

The first cub arrived in 1999 after her mother was killed by poachers nearby.
She died, but others have since arrived and the tiger population has gradually grown. The centre has become a tourist attraction where visitors can pay a fee to have their picture taken alongside the animals.

The organistion insists that it is a legitimate conservation centre, that the animals are well-cared for and that the aim is to release them back into the wild in the future.

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