Thai tiger sanctuary closes amid claims of wildlife trafficking

Sai Yok, Thailand

THE last tiger, sedated and caged, left the Tiger Temple in Thailand on Saturday in the back of a pick-up truck. The abbot who founded the Buddhist-themed zoo has vanished. And five people, including three monks, have been arrested on suspicion of wildlife trafficking.

The removal of the last of 137 tigers after a week-long operation effectively shut the tourist attraction, where visitors - many of them foreign tourists - could touch tigers and feed them by hand.