Kanchanaburi: Authorities yesterday evening managed to start removing tigers from a renowned tiger temple after their plan to relocate the remaining 137 tigers was earlier impeded by temple officials.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation yesterday sought the Kanchanaburi Provincial Court's approval for a search warrant for Wat Pa Luang Ta Maha Bua, known as the Tiger Temple, in Sai Yok district, paving the way for them to start relocating the tigers, which they say are kept at the temple illegally.
The court yesterday issued the search warrant as requested.
The search warrant was sought after the temple earlier blocked department officials' access after they had declared their intention to turn up and start moving the tigers to wildlife breeding centres around the country.
More than 300 national park officials and police officers, led by the department's deputy director-general Adisorn Noochdumrong, were stationed outside the temple while the entrance of the temple was blocked with barriers to prevent authorities from entering.
The talks lasted about half an hour but failed to produce a solution, which prompted the department to seek the warrant from the court.
Pol Col Supitpong Pakcharung, vice-chairman of the Wat Pa Laung Ta Maha Bua Foundation which oversees the tigers, said he would not allow authorities to move the animals.
He also vowed to take legal action against those who trespassed on the temple's grounds.
According to Mr Adisorn, the temple claimed it had filed a suit with the Central Administrative Court against moves to relocate the tigers and wanted the authorities to wait for the ruling.
However, he said the court had yet to accept the petition and the department must follow through on its duties.
He also threatened the authorities would file charges against Pol Col Supitpong for illegally possessing protected animals without permission, violating Section 47 of the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act.
Officials eventually entered the temple with the warrant and started relocating the animals, which is expected to take several days.
Earlier, 10 of 147 tigers at the temple were transferred to Khao Pa Son and Khao Prathap Chang wildlife breeding centres in Ratchaburi province.