The Born Free Foundation has long been publicly critical of the conditions Sri Racha Tiger Zoo and the zoo is now receiving more bad press: a government official is facing serious disciplinary charges after authorising the export of 100 tigers from the zoo to a Chinese theme park (see below for links to that story). And on 1st May a teenage worker at the zoo died after being mauled by six tigers in front of more than 100 shocked tourists. "She passed away in hospital," a spokeswoman from the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo southeast of Bangkok said, declining to elaborate on the attack that took place on Thursday. Media reports said 18-year-old Uraiwan Sansern received deep wounds and a cracked spine when she was set upon by six Bengal tigers she was handling for the benefit of tourists. "Some tourists outside the enclosure tried to scare away the tigers by knocking on the glass panes, but the glass was too thick," a zoo tour guide told the Nation newspaper, saying the visitors were from China and Korea. It said fellow workers used sticks to chase the tigers away, but that Uraiwan was already severely mauled by the time help arrived. The young worker was reportedly untrained to handle the dangerous animals, and was trying to make a tiger sit for tourists by hitting it with a stick when the attack occurred.

AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN

The Born Free Foundation is not surprised by tragic accident. We have long felt there was an accident waiting to happen at Sri Racha Zoo. The conditions for the tigers in the zoo are grim. Reports from the Animals Asia Foundation, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and from distressed visitors to the zoo paint a picture of a tiger production line. A Born Free supporter who visited Sriracha in January 2003 described widespread hand-rearing and cubs being suckled by pigs and dogs. Normally a female tiger would give birth to cubs and then would rear them for about two years, until they were old enough to fend for themselves. Only then would she come into season and attract a mate once more. If the cubs die then she comes into season immediately. Presumably this is the intention of the zoo - by hand-rearing the cubs they can get another litter of this valuable resource brought into the world. The supporter was told the zoo has one tigress who has three litters per year with five cubs per litter.

PIGS SUFFER IN ZOO TOO

The use of pigs and dogs as surrogate mothers seems more of a tourist gimmick, with most hand-rearing being done by zoo staff. People may not consider the welfare of the pigs an issue amongst the bizarre sights in the zoo but the female pigs are kept in a narrow metal stalls, a horrible device used on factory farms on pregnant sows. It severely restricts their movement and in this instance would prevent the sow from pushing away the stranger in her litter. These crates were banned in the UK in 1999. Most female tigers have strong maternal instincts and taking away the cubs should be considered a cruel action. If the particular tiger who produces so many cubs is one who rejects her litters, then by constantly breeding and removing her cubs the zoo is putting her health at risk. Like the poor overworked dairy cow whose calves are removed so that milk is constantly produced for human consumption, this tiger will probably "wear out" before the end of her natural life span. The unnatural burden on her system of constantly being pregnant and giving birth must surely have severe health implications.

TIGERS BEHIND THE SCENES

Our supporter was told there were about 200 tigers in the zoo. She saw about 30 on display for tourists - the cages were clean, with some nods towards environmental enrichment - a muddy puddle in some, the odd tree in others. Then she found out where the others were housed. At the rear of the facility were small concrete cages. No pools, no trees, no toys, nothing in them but tigers. One cage had about thirty tigers in it, others had four-five tigers in cages 5m x 5m. An Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) report refers to the way that the cubs are de-clawed at three months old. Presumably this is to allow safe handling and for safer photo opportunities. Both AAF and the EIA describe another photographic opportunity - with "Kenya Boy". A man and two women of African origin dressed in faux animal print outfits share an enclosure with tigers. For money the man and women pose will pose with a tiger. As EIA reports "Besides the obvious degradation of both human and tiger, the exhibit reinforces the common mistake that tigers are native to the African continent."

TIGER PARTS SOLD FOR TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE?

Further in the report we may find the real reason for the production of all these tigers: "In December 2000 EIA investigators found tiger bone pills manufactured buy the Ouay Un factory for sale in the Sri Racha Health Traditional Medicine Clinic, on the premises of Sri Racha Tiger Zoo. Furthermore, in a study by TRAFFIC in 2000, a Chinatown store owner in Bangkok told investigators that he buys tiger penis from the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo." The use of tiger parts in TCM is illegal in Thailand and China but its use is still popular with many sectors of the Asian community.

THAI AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN.

In November 2003 Sri Racha Zoo was raided and the Police found several hundred animals the owners could not properly account for. This was part of a wider crack-down. In the same month a police raid on a Bankok home fond piles of fresh tiger meat alongside the paws of slaughtered bears; in the home of a known dealer more than 100 animals, alive and dead, plus six live tigers were discovered. The fact there were raids at all is significant. For decades Thailand's heritage of teak forests and richly varied wildlife has fallen prey to grasping politicians, military officers and ruthless entrepreneurs, largely ignored by the government. However, the current Prime Minister, former billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, has changed course and last autumn launched a crackdown on the trade, claiming he would have it cleared up by the end of 2003! The Minister of the Environment has recently increased the jail term for wildlife smugglers from four years to 10 years. Excellent news.

PUBLICITY STUNT BEFORE OCTOBER CITES MEETING?

Of course, some are cynical about this tough action. It is feared it is a short-lived publicity stunt in the run up the huge CITES meeting which Bankok will host in October. Certainly the Minister of the Environment is concerned about adverse publicity and apparently has banned the tipping off of journalists about raids. Nonetheless, the publicity is getting out there, and the international media attention the death of the keeper has attracted is welcome. It highlights once again the risks inherent in public handling displays of big cats. Not only has a young woman died, but the tigers involved in the attack may also be paying a very high price.

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