PATTAYA: A Thai zoo has sparked outrage after a video of staff repeatedly prodding a tiger to elicit roars for tourist photos went viral, renewing criticism of the kingdom's notorious animal tourism industry. A spokesperson for the zoo, The Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm, told AFP the tiger attendant had been transferred to another job over the incident. "The owner he loves animals and he will not allow staff to hurt his animals," she added. The Pattaya zoo's website shows pictures of white tigers, bears, camels, deer and other exotic animals in outdoor pens. In 2016 the kingdom made international headlines after police raided its infamous Tiger Temple, a tourist site accused of links to the illegal wildlife trade.

Source: The Star December 21, 2017 13:52 UTC