Buddhist Abbot monk Pra Acham Phusit Kanthitharo ( R ) - known as Abbot Chan - the head of the Temple ( called Wat in Thai ) Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno , widely known as the Tiger Temple - helps lie a tigers head into the lap of a tourist ready for a photo in Kanchanaburi province , about 200 km west of Bangkok , Thailand , 24 April 2008 . The monastery near the border with Myanmar , ( Burma ) has had tigers since a cub was first brought there by villagers who asked the monks to look after it in 1999 . It has now grown into a large tourist attraction - drawing between 500 - 800 tourists a day offering them the chance to pay to get right up close , walk and pat and even hug and lie - and of course be photographed all the way - with the tigers . EPA / BARBARA WALTON < 저작권자 ⓒ 2007 연 합 뉴 스 . 무단 전재 - 재 배포 금지 . >