SAI YOK, Thailand, May 31 (UPI) -- Government officials raided and removed the first of 137 tigers from Thailand's Tiger Temple.
As of Tuesday night, around 20 of the tigers were sedated, caught and caged in the Kachanburi province. Officials hope to remove all tigers within a week.
Tourists paid to pat and take pictures with the cats.
The sanctuary had been accused by wildlife and animal-rights groups of breeding tigers and selling animal parts.
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But the Buddhist monks and workers at the site deny the allegations.
"If there's any illegal trading or smuggling, there would have been ... evidence," said Supitpong Pakdijarung, managing director of the Tiger Temple Co. "It has been more than a year and the case hasn't gone anywhere."
The removal process was conducted by the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
Adisorn Noochdumrong, the department's deputy director, led the operation. On Monday, he had a search warrant from Kanchanaburi Provincial Court.
Tanya Erzinclioglu, a temple worker since 2010, was upset to see the tigers being taken away.
"At the end of the day I know most of it is not true," she said of the allegations.
But PETA, an animal-rights organization, said visitors reported that monks were beating the cats they refused to cooperate. The group also criticized how visitors had "direct contact" with the wild animals.
"The monks at Tiger Temple encouraged tourists to stroke and pet the tigers—or even sit or lie on them," PETA told NBC News in a statement. "Animal acts ... ensures continued cruelty to animals."
On its website, PETA Asia said, "Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, calls itself an animal 'sanctuary,' but in reality, tigers here are imprisoned and denied everything that is natural and important to them.
Pakdijarung questioned whether the government was prepared to care for the tigers.
"We have all the cages ready and we will take care of the tigers like other seized animals," Noochdumrong told NBC News.
Most of the tigers will be sent to the government's Khaoson and Khao Prathap Chang breeding centers in Ratchaburi province.
