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| Amy was probably not aware that the practice of feeding tiger cubs in Thailand is opposed by animal rights activists. |
February 25, 2016, NewsCrunch
Actress Amy Jackson tweeted a photo showing herself feeding a tiger cub on Wednesday.
Though she did not disclose where the photo was taken, it was probably at the famous Tiger Temple in Thailand, where tourists pay a fee to feed tiger cubs with milk bottles.
Amy was in Thailand this week and had been tweeting from the country.
The actress, a vegetarian and an animal rights activist, was signed up by PETA in 2014 as its ambassador. Recently, she had opposed jallikattu in Tamil Nadu at the risk drawing the ire of the people.
She was probably not aware that the practice of feeding tiger cubs in Thailand is controversial and opposed by animal rights activists.
Tiger Temple in Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province, was founded in 1994 as a forest sanctuary for wild animals, including tigers.
It charges an admission fee and its popular though infamous attraction is tiger cubs, which are handed over to tourists for bottle feeding.
The temple has long been accused by animal rights activists of ill-treating the tigers for commercial gain and even trafficking some of its animals.
The temple was raided by Thai soldiers last year and was subsequently cleared of allegations of animal mistreatment after an investigation by wildlife officials. It was still found possessing 38 protected birds on the temple grounds without license.
Animal rights activists say tiger cubs are separated from their mothers and used to amuse tourists. The constant company of humans and the overfeeding are said to harm them.
There are also questions on what happens to the cubs when they grow up. While the temple needs a large supply of cubs, there are allegedly no record of a proportionate number of adult tigers associated with it.
There is an accusation that adult animals tigers are sent to China, where there is a huge demand for tiger body parts.