Today I lost a small part of my soul.
I went to visit a “tiger sanctuary” here in Chiang Mai, I had read a lot about it and spoke with a few locals. I received many different opinions, some good, mostly bad.
A big part and driving force for this trip and my life is to document places on a hope to educate and inspire. Documenting means the good and the soul sucking bad. I am the kind of person that needs to experience things first hand and I don’t take most advice and opinions without my own experience.
I can say now that I am disgusted with myself for going here. I wanted to see how the Tigers were taken care of and the conditions in which they live here at the “sanctuary.”
This is no sanctuary, this is a prison. Please I beg of you if you come to thailand do not partake in this part. If you have any good in your soul it will rob you.
Their are roughly 60+ cats here, ranging from babies to full grown adults. Although the cats seem healthy and well fed, they spend most of their day and lives in cages far too small, subjected to thousands of onlookers each day.
All of the rumors are true, they are breeding these cats purely for human entertainment. For a small fee (less than 15$) you can interact with the cats for up to 15 minutes.
I wanted so badly for this to be a good place and to surprise me, but I left empty and on the brink of tears. My apartment is bigger than most of the adult cats cages.
Please please please do not go. It is very tempting to have a chance to interact with something so wild, but these cats have been strangled of their wild.
I hate myself for going and I wish I left this part to my imagination. I struggled with my decision to go before I left and I truly feel as though my intention to document this has chipped away a small piece of my soul that I will never regain.
Always Departing 