Unfortunately, animals are exploited all too often by humans for the sake of profit. Many people are captivated by the beauty of wild animals like elephants, apes, and tigers, and businesses use the appeal of these majestic animals to bring in tourists. Visitors to these attractions are often so enamored with the animals there, that they forget to think about where these animals were born and how they are treated by their handlers.
In an effort to reveal what occurs at these attractions, Katie Stacey, a writer, and her boyfriend Luke Massey, a photographer, recently posed as tourists for BBC Three’s series “Undercover Tourist” show to investigate two attractions in Thailand that use tigers to reap in profits.
Their first stop was Million Years Stone Park, known for its “roaring tiger selfie.” Stacey and Massey reported adult tigers chained and prodded with a metal stick until they roared for photos with an endless line of tourists. Stacey also stated the tigers were “super skinny.”
Their second stop was Sriracha Tiger Zoo, where the focus turned to tiger cubs. This zoo reportedly practices “speed breeding,” where baby tigers are separated from their mothers and forced to be bottle fed by a streaming line of paying tourists. These precious babies are passed from one stranger’s lap to the next for photos, where they are exposed to high levels of stress and germs that could certainly affect their health.
These tigers are all being used as photo props and are not being treated like living beings. Stacey explained there are only around 250 tigers left in the wild in the areas they visited, but there are 1,500 tigers in captivity there, and a majority of theM are being grossly mistreated. These magnificent animals deserve far better than the treatment they receive, but they will continue to be abused and exploited as long as tourists continue to pay them.
Sadly, the experience of the animals in these two facilities is common to all tiger attractions across the world. Right here in the U.S., the sham sanctuary T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina exploits and shows tigers in a very similar manner.
Please remember this story and never support zoos or tourist attractions that use animals to gain a profit. Only when people know about the cruelty that occurs at these attractions will they reconsider supporting them, so please share this story with your network to help get the word out. The end to animal cruelty and exploitation begins with animal advocates like you!
You can watch the full episode of Undercover Tourists on BBC Three’s website, here.
Image source: sittitap/Shutterstock
end the animal abuse at tiger attractions now.