Temple "drowns" under heavy animal population
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Temples are no longer home to just Buddhist monks and the religious faithful but also to dozens of wild animals and abandoned pets including pythons, tortoises, pigs and rabbits.
These animals have now become a burden to the monks. Kanchit Khantidhrammo, abbot of Wat Pa Pavanadhram in Prachin Buri, says his temple is having to shoulder the feeding costs of about 80 wild animals and pets, which have been abandoned by their owners.
The wild animals living at the temple, located at Moo 2, Tambon Lat Takian, in Kabin Buri district, include 4 monkeys, 3 pythons, 3 turtles, 10 rabbits, and a wild pig. There are also around 50 cats and dogs.
Kanchit said that in the past the temple would try and release the animals in their natural habitat but the problem has grown worse with people still abandoning unwanted pets at the temple.
“We can not deny them refuge. The only thing that we can do is take them in and feed them. But that is now impossible as we simply do not have enough food,” the abbot said.
The temple is trying to contact concerned agencies to take these animals from the temple and either release them in the wild or find them new homes.
