Inside Tiger Factory Farming
In the first image, you can see an elderly Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) resting her fragile body against the concrete wall of her enclosure on a tiger farm in Northern Thailand.
In December 2023, I had the privilege of joining the NGO Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) to photograph their historic rescue mission of 15 big cats from an intensive tiger breeding farm.
One of the individuals rescued that day was the tiger in this photograph, who was later named Salamas. For over 20 years, she was confined inside this cage and used as a breeding machine, producing cubs for industries ranging from tiger tourism to the illegal trade in tiger skins, teeth, bones, claws, and meat.
Despite her frail and emaciated condition, Salamas survived the 12-hour journey to WFFT’s 17-acre forested tiger sanctuary, where she was able to roam freely and experience grass beneath her paws and the warmth of the sun on her fur for the first time in two decades.
But nine months after being rescued, Salamas passed away. Years of forced breeding had left her reproductive organs irreparably damaged, and she succumbed to a terminal cancerous mass.
Demand for tiger tourism experiences and products has resulted in an estimated 1,700 tigers being held in factory-farming-style tiger farms across Thailand. Less than 223 tigers remain in the wild within the country.
It was an honour to help tell Salamas’ story, and I hope her legacy can help bring awareness - and an end - to the confinement and farming of all tigers.
These images offer a glimpse into the conditions that confined Salamas for 20 years. To help grow her legacy, please consider supporting WFFT's advocacy and rescue work here. Thank you.
