Tiger Kingdom

One of the riskiest things you can do for yourself, and the worst thing you can do for Thailand’s wildlife, is to visit tigers kept captive in a concrete enclosure called a ‘kingdom’. That said, plenty of people are doing it daily at the Tiger Kingdom on the island of Phuket.

It is possible to have your photo taken sitting next to a live tiger – young or adult. This practice of exploiting wildlife for money from tourists who don’t think about the implications for the tigers has been going on for decades. It even occurs in Bangkok at temples where the monks have been keeping dozens of full-grown tigers for photo sessions they charge donations for.

Caution – Wildlife is exploited in Thailand each and every day. The tigers you see in captive enclosures, like here at Tiger Kingdom, are not in a ‘wildlife sanctuary’ as their Facebook page would have you believe. Thee ground where they are kept is covered in concrete and bricks, and it is nothing like the tiger’s natural habitat – primary forest. Tigers are typically drugged and beaten into submission in order to keep them calm for tourists.

If you pay to enter this place, you’re contributing to the wildlife exploitation problem. Many tourists visiting this tiger enclosure made comments about the tigers looking drugged and about ‘trainers’ waving knives in front of the tigers faces as a threat. What is really going on here? Entertainment for you and your family?

If you have a look at the image below… Are those high-voltage wires designed to keep the tigers in their enclosure? Looks like wires all over the compound. Seems not at all like any ‘sanctuary’ we’ve ever seen.

The Tiger Kingdom is located on the main road leading out of Patong Beach and toward Phuket Town known as Highway 4029. This is the road that goes over the mountain to the east of Patong Beach.

Their main website appears to have been hacked – no pages except the front page are working.