Bangkok: The last batch of a total of 137 tigers from Thailand’s Tiger Temple were relocated on Saturday, ending the six-day-long relocation process.
Five suspects including three monks are now charged with illegal wildlife possession. Thai wildlife officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) removed the last batch of nine tigers from the famous tourist site in Kanchanaburi province to a breeding centre in Rachaburi province, Xinhua reported.
The last tiger brought out was a male named Sayfa (thunderbolt), with a weight of 300 kg. The last batch of tigers are about eight to 12 years old, and the hot weather made the relocation slower, Patrapol Maneeorn, wildlife veterinarian of DNP, said on Friday.
According to the DNP, all 137 tigers are now in two breeding centres in Rachaburi. Those Indochinese tigers that shared the same subspecies with wild tigers living in Thailand will be released in nature habitat later, while Bengal tigers will stay.
