I discovered why the animal-stressing temple construction is happening
In a previous post I mentioned that there is a lot of construction going on at one of the temples that we monitor the dogs in and the presence of the crew of people that are strangers to the dogs as well as the noise and equipment that comes along with them, has been stressing the dogs out at this temple. I don't normally ask questions about what construction is for but while building is quite common in Thailand and the rest of the world, it is actually quite rare to see on a temple grounds.
I found out that they are building new housing for the nuns that live here and I suppose if there ever was a good reason to have construction, then this is it. The nuns at the Tiger Cave Temple and elsewhere that we have these sorts of projects going on tend to be very helpful at looking after the dogs and cats that call these places home. So while the dogs would probably prefer that this entire process could just be magical and silent, at least it will end up benefitting everyone, including the animals, once it is complete.
This is a lot of housing. Tiger Cave Temple is one of the most visited temples in all of Thailand so perhaps they have received some sort of grant or donation to make this possible. I am very happy to see this because other than the house that the main monk, who I believe is called an Abbot, the housing is really quite poor here. It has likely long since been overdue and it is probably something that everyone is looking forward to even though those that dedicate their lives to Buddhism are meant to reject material things for the most part.
During these stressful times I have been making extra visits to the temple in an effort to kind of relax everyone, and I do the distribution of snacks near to the construction so that they maybe feel less afraid of it, but also far enough away that the dogs aren't going to accidentally get hurt by what is going on. So far it seems to be working because it is pretty amazing what you can accomplish with some treats and a pack of hot dogs.
The dogs are always pretty happy to see me, but lately I think my increased amount of visits has really raised their spirits to an even higher level.
For those of you just joining me on this journey, the Tiger Cave Temple is a "pet project" that we started a few years back where we are trying to prove to Thailand that a controlled animal population can live much better lives than those that are just left unchecked. It seems that in some communities that sterilization is not a priority, even ones that provide food and shelter for the dogs. Not sterilizing dogs always leads to overpopulation and this is especially true if there is plenty of food. It's kind of a tragic self-perpetuating cycle, the more comfort you provide dogs with, the more offspring they will have and therefore, the end result is a return to suffering until enough of them die off that the population returns to a more manageable size. The idea behind the good-intentioned people who feed and feed and feed a population are no doubt, wonderful, but they are missing a very important part of the process here in that their job will never reach a conclusion because nobody has infinite amount of medicine, food, and space for these animals to live in. Despite the good intentions of feeding, dense populations of dogs will develop disease, even if they are well fed, this is just an undeniable and constantly proven fact. Sterilization is the ONLY way forward and we hope that when we have shown this to be the case at the temples we oversee, that the rest of the country and perhaps the government as well, will take notice and follow suit.
Just a side note: Do NOT attempt to hand feed dogs that you do not know like I am doing in the pictures. These dogs are very familiar with me after years of being visited and handled by me. Presenting something to a dog's mouth that you do not know, even if it is food, is a great way to get bitten.
if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
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