Thai 'Tiger Temple' monks caught fleeing with tiger skins and fangs, officials say

SAI YOK, Thailand, June 2 (UPI) -- A Buddhist monk and two other men were detained Thursday while allegedly trying to leave Thailand's "Tiger Temple" with tiger skins and fangs, just one day after 40 dead tiger cubs were discovered inside a freezer at the animal sanctuary.

Thai authorities said operators of the Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua temple, located in the western Kanchanaburi province, were trying to smuggle out the animal contraband, which included two full-length tiger skins, 700 amulets made with tiger parts and 10 tiger fangs. Operators of the temple are accused ofwildlife trafficking and animal abuse. Buddhist monks and other workers on the site deny the allegations.

"This confiscation shows that the temple is likely involved in illegal tiger trade. They are clearly violating the law in selling, distributing or transferring the protected animals or their parts," Teunchai Noochdumrong, director of of the Wildlife Conservation Office, told the BBC.

The country's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said Thursday some 80 of the more than 140 live tigers have been removed from the temple. The remainder of the animals will be removed in the coming days.

Officials began in May removing live tigers from the tourist attraction. On Wednesday, local authorities announced they found, the carcasses of frozen, decaying tiger cubs in a freezer.