There are over 100 dogs at the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand and all of them were dropped off by owners that no longer wanted them - which is a real shame but that is just how it is done in Thailand. Unfortunately, all across Thailand there is rarely any action taken to ensure that these dogs don't just replicated out of control and most temples that I have visited in Thailand have an insurmountable amount of dog at them and without a sterilization program introduced these dogs will eventually succumb to disease and parasites if malnutrition doesn't get them first.
This is why our primary objective at Tiger Cave Temple, which is one of the most visited temples in the entire country, has been sterilization and thus far, it seems to be working and hopefully can be a lesson to other temples in the country.
This is a very large piece of land and it can be difficult to determine exactly how many dogs are there because of this. We depend on the monks who live and work there to make us aware of any new additions to the mix and they have been wonderful in doing this part of the job.
There are also a bunch of cats here and this can prove far more difficult to control because cats are not generally social animals and since this complex is so huge, we don't even know where they are most of the time. So we have to act fast during these times when they come out to get fed.
Now on male dogs and cats (as well as nearly every other animal) it can be easy to determine if they have been sterilized but with females, it is a lot more complicated than that.
Depending on where you are in the world the people or organizations like our own will put a permanent mark on the cat or dog to indicate that they have been sterilized. It can look like the above or as is more common in Thailand, there will be a notched ear where a precision cut has been done.
We have been criticized by people in the past that think this is a cruel practice but I can tell you from having been at these notching dozens of times, the cat or dogs barely even react to it being done because they do not have a great deal of nerves in that part of their body, it was chosen specifically for this reason. A dog that is distracted by a treat likely wont even know you have cut them and the wound is immediately cleaned and sealed by a specialized machine. There really isn't any other way to let everyone know when they encounter this animal that it is already sterilized. That's jut the way that it is.
I'm happy to report that all is well at Tiger Cave Temple... the dogs were happy to see me and most of them seemed like they are perhaps a bit overfed and could stand to lose a few. Between me making twice weekly trips there and the monks always having a supply of food on hand, these doggos are not going to go hungry at any point in the near future.
If you ever find yourself in the Tiger Cave Temple, and you likely will if you visit Krabi, how about dropping a few Baht into one of our donation boxes that exist at the entrance?
if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.
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