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258--Thailand: A Tigress meets her Match at Tiger Temple @ CherieSpotting     Dec 04 2004 - 16:56 PST cherie writes: Nestled between sugar cane fields and rice patties of Kanchanaburi, Thailand sits a Forest Monastery called Watpa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno. Luckily, the monks don’t make you pronounce it before you enter. What makes this monastery different from others is that you can watch the monks live in harmony with tigers. Their motto is: “The monastery is not only for man, but for all animals who seek the peacefulness.” In 1999, a forest monk befriended an orphaned tiger cub after her mother had been slaughtered by a poacher near the border of Myanmar. Soon other tiger cubs that had lost their mothers to poachers were brought to the monks to raise. Tiger Temple is a tiger orphanage where you can learn about tigers, play with the cubs, and even pet and snuggle with their peaceful full-size parents. After we took photos with the massive tigers, we played with their spunky cubs. One cub fell in love with Kirsty’s ankle and wouldn’t let go of his new chew toy. That is, until the cub saw my delicious purse and sweater. The feisty cub exchanged Kirsty’s ankle for my purse and now I have some very cool chew marks, a unique souvenir to remember my visit to tiger temple. While I was playing tug-of-war with the tiger cub Diane was laughing. “Cherie just wants her purse back because her lip-gloss is in there!” Diane said between giggles. Now the monks are trying to raise money to build a new 12-acre home for the tigers on their land where the tigers can run free and their newly born cubs can be eventually released back into the wild. To find out how you can donate money to the tigers click on www.tigertemple.com. (It costs about $1.50 (US Dollars) to feed a tiger for the day.) Here are two quotes from the booklet you receive at the Tiger Temple: “Soften and cooled down; Even a tiger, you also somehow; Sense and feel the tenderness; In the Law of Karma, it may be seen; That animals are not always mean.” “All living things are to be proud; Not to be caged, nor to be bound; In a lifetime, there is nothing to bind; Nothing but a generous mind.” Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 10340    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Cherie cuddles with a tiger at a forest monastery in Thailand. A monk. A monk takes the tiger for an afternoon stroll. A different kind of walk in the park. Cherie walks near tiger. Hilda takes the tiger for a walk. Hilda excited--tiger calm. Two tigers in one photo? The King of Beasts with King Ciao. Are those tourists coming this way? They look much tastier than what I'm eating. Kirsty and the tiger. Hannah found out that the tiger didn't speak Scottish. Close enough to smell the tiger breath. Snuggling tigers. *Photo by Lee. Playing with the tigers. *Photos by Lee. Monks with tigers. *Photos by Lee. Walk this way. *Photos by Lee. Monk with tiger. *Photo by Yorham. That's one heck of a roar. Is Cherie practicing for Vet School? *Photo by Yorham. Look at those choppers. *Photo by Yorham. One tiger meets another. *Photo by Yorham. Bring that yummy tourist over here! Hilda and the tiger. Nice to meet you Mr. Tiger. Cherie and the tiger. I'm a bit dirty, but well worth it! Lee with the tiger. Amanda with the tiger. King Ciao (aka Leighton) with the tiger. Hannah gives the tiger a show. Turns out, the tiger likes white chicks. Kirsty and the tiger. Yup, that cub has claws. *Photo by Lee. Cute little tiger cub. He's thinking...I want a hug. Adorable cub. The tiger cub grabs onto Kirsty's leg. Cherie and the cub. One more reason to wear pants at the Tiger Temple. Everyone pets the tiger cub while it chews off Kirsty's ankle. So soft! That Cherie chick seems nice, but her purse looks scrumptious. Hey--give that back! That's one way for the Tiger Temple to get more donations. *Photo by Kirsty. The cub just loves my purse. OK, time to give the purse back. I need my lip-gloss! Other animals around the monastery. How funky is your chicken? *Photo by Lee. Perhaps someone should donate a new broom to this monk. A man prepares to enter the monastery. Just hanging out at the Tiger Temple.