Back to the Tiger Cave to check on our largest animal-welfare project!
The Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand is by far the largest single-area project that we have ever taken on. The reason why we decided to focus on this places is not just because it is relatively close to our headquarters but also because it has a great deal of visibility as far as the public is concerned. Not only is it one of the largest temple compounds in the entire country but it is one of the most frequently-visited tourist-attraction in Krabi. If people visit Krabi, there is a good chance they will visit this expansive temple area. They will also notice while they are there that there is over a hundred stray dogs that call this place home.
In the past couple of years we have focuses on the health of the animals that live here and our care includes parasite prevention, overall health and access to food, and of course on the importance of sterilization for population control. The dogs here are MUCH healthier than when we first started off at this place and we aim to keep it that way. This means we frequently pop in to check on all of our furry children who are happy to see us when we arrive.
The dogs recognize the sound of my truck and it is very amusing to bring a volunteer with me to help out because they are always filled with the same glee that strikes me every time I go there when before we even get all the way into the parking lot, there are dozens of dogs approaching the car with tails a waggin'. It is quite a sight to see.
The ones nearest the car park will also go run to other areas to tell their friends "they're here! they're here!" and many more will come after that. I realize that a lot of this love comes from the fact that we always turn up with snacks but they are also quite friendly and enjoy getting some pats and belly rubs as well.
Our decision to turn up with snacks is a little bit of a trick though. We use this method to check out our little friends to make sure they are still in good health. We keep meticulous records of who has had what sort of treatment and when so we will check to make sure that they are still parasite-free when we are giving them delicious snacks that they really look forward to.
When one dog ends up with a re-infestation of parasites of any sort you have to act quickly because since dogs are pack animals this parasites will quickly spread to everyone in the pack and eventually, every dog in the compound. Since we have worked rather diligently to get rid of this problem, we really don't relish the idea of starting from scratch.
I have no scientific reasoning for this, but I feel as though once we eliminate the parasites from all the dogs - which is an objective that we have already accomplished - the hope is that the parasites in general will die down in number based on inability to find a host. It just makes sense that this would be the case, does it not?
I am sure the parasites are still here in some capacity because there is nothing we can do about the parasite population that also exists on the rather vast monkey population that lives here as well. I am sure there is a way to do that with them as well but monkeys are not animals that you should attempt to get to chummy with. Even though they are cute, they are extremely volatile animals that can cause a lot of damage to a human very quickly. We DO feed them every now and then but we do not make any efforts to provide medical care for them. Monkeys are a lot better at looking after themselves than dogs are and will actually spend many hours a day searching through one another's hair looking for parasites and clearing them out. Dogs, due to the absence of both patience and thumbs, cannot possibly do this.
The dogs are friendly towards us because they know us, but just like any stray anywhere in the world, if you do not know the dog, it is a bad idea to try to play with them. This is a fantastic way to accidentally trigger them and get bit. While I encourage people to treat the stray animal population of the world with as much compassion as possible, it is a bad idea to think that a dog on the street is your friend. Often they can appear friendly but are actually very territorial and if they consider you to be a threat, even if you have the best intentions, you can get bit. I always encourage people to ALWAYS keep your distance from monkeys. I am around them several times a week and I keep my distance because even an "expert" like me, has been bitten by a monkey even though I was just trying to be nice.
If you are ever in the Krabi area, be sure to stop by the Tiger Cave Temple and say hello to our more than 100 friends there. Then maybe come and pay us a visit as well. We always enjoy the company of fellow animal-lovers.
if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
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