在泰国“老虎庙”发现死去的老虎幼崽

AS IT IS 2016-06-02 Dead Cubs¹ Found at Thailand’s ‘Tiger Temple’ 在泰国“老虎庙”发现死去的老虎幼崽

Officials in Thailand found 40 dead tiger cubs at a Buddhist² temple accused of animal abuse.

The dead cubs were discovered Wednesday in a freezer at the temple, west of Bangkok. Authorities found them while removing dozens of mostly full-grown live tigers from the temple grounds.

Officials said the cubs appeared to be about a week old. It was not known why they were in the freezer, where temple staff kept food.

Monks³ have been operating an unsanctioned zoo, called Tiger Temple. Tourists paid money to view and take pictures with the tigers and other exotic animals.

Wildlife groups say the animals were illegally bred and poorly treated. They also accuse the monks of making money by selling tiger parts used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Thai authorities plan to file charges against the temple for illegally possessing endangered species.

On its website, Tiger Temple said some tigers have to be tied up to protect visitors and other tigers because they sometimes wake in a “restless state.”

“People’s safety has to be our main concern,” it said.

The monks recently sought permission from the government to operate a zoo, according to the Associated Press. But the request was denied because the temple did not have proper resources to deal with the animals.

The monks resisted previous attempts to remove the tigers. But this time officials got a court order and the temple complied.

All of the temple’s 137 tigers are being transferred to various shelters in Thailand.

Words in This Story

unsanctioned – adj. not officially approved

breed – v. cause an animal to produce offspring

endangered species – n. – a species of animal or plant that is at risk of extinction⁴

comply – v. to do what you have been asked or ordered to do

1 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

3 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。