40 dead tiger cubs found in Thailand temple

At least 40 dead tiger cubs, a dead bear and various animal horns have been found by wildlife officials on the grounds of Thailand's Tiger Temple west of Bangkok, Thai officials say. The bodies of the cubs and bear were found stored in the freezer where the temple kept food for the tigers, Adisorn Nuchdamrong, deputy director-general of the wildlife department, said on Wednesday.
"The temple never registered these dead cubs, they are illegal," he said.
The site in Kanchanaburi is a popular tourist attraction but has been closed to the public since the raid. Police colonel Bandith Meungsukhum told AFP news agency that wildlife officials would file new criminal charges after the discovery, and added that the cubs were just one or two days old when they died. He said it was not yet clear how long they had been dead for.

The dead cubs "must be of some value for the temple", Adisorn Nuchdamrong, from Thailand's Department of National Parks, told Reuters news agency. "But for what is beyond me."
Tiger bones and body parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Monks at the temple were not available for comment but have previously denied trafficking allegations. Body parts from other animals were also found in a freezer, Tom Taylor, from Wildlife Friends Foundation, told the BBC. Dozens of living tigers have already been removed, out of 137 at the temple. The 1,000-strong police operation is due to continue all week.
Since 2001, authorities have been locked in a battle with the monks at the temple to confiscate the tigers after allegations of wildlife trafficking and abuse surfaced. The monks deny any wrongdoing. The temple, officially known as Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, has been a stop on many tourists' itineraries for decades. Visitors could pose for photographs with the tigers or help with their exercise routine. But animal rights campaigners have long campaigned to close it down. Peta said animals there are "imprisoned and denied everything that is important to them"