Disturbing news of how a multi-billion dollar illegal trade in tiger parts for Chinese 'medicine' has been facilitated by an Asian tiger temple in Thailand (www.theguardian.com/enviroment/2016/jun/04/tiger-temple-billion-dollar-trade-china-thailand). The use of skins, bones and meat is without medical benefit but continues to imperil our largest feline predator (although, see later, it could be argued that the commerce reduces pressure on wild tiger populations). It is worrying that the activity (raids revealed 40 tiger cubs in a freezer and the possibility that monks were making 'wine' from tiger parts). This is in a location where tourists could pay the monks to see the tigers (or even pose with them) and were encouraged to make further donations 'to help feed the cubs). It doesn't chime with any Buddhist philosophy with which I am familiar and looks more like a niche farming activity.
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