Thai abbot flees after wild animal carcasses found in his room

An abbot fled a well-known Phan Suek Nukun Temple in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima when officers from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) raided the temple and found wild animal carcasses hidden in his accommodation.

DNP officers received a tip-off from a monk at the temple that the abbot, later identified as Kittichai Worradhammo, hunted wild animals and kept their carcasses in his living quarters.

The monk and other temple members reported that the abbot liked to eat wild animals, and they could no longer tolerate his behaviour, prompting them to report it to the DNP.

Acting on the tip-off, officers raided the temple on May 18 and found the hidden carcasses in a fridge inside the abbot’s accommodation. Officers discovered the carcasses of an Asian black bear, a barking deer, a bull’s head, a serow, and four bear paws.

Kittichai managed to escape from the temple shortly before the investigation. DNP officers filed a complaint against the abbot at Klangdong Police Station. Police will conduct a further investigation into other involved monks, hunters, and the abbot’s followers.

According to Buddhist doctrine, the prohibition on killing stands as a fundamental precept that monks, nuns, novices, and lay members are encouraged to follow. Buddhist monks are required to observe 227 precepts, a cornerstone of which Kittichai violated.

Kittichai is not the first monk to engage in wild animal hunting and consumption. In April, two monks and two novices were accused of hunting wild animals in the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum.

The five monks and novices were accused of participating in a hunting expedition and entering the sanctuary specifically for this purpose. However, all the accused priests denied the charges, insisting that they did not bring any weapons into the forest.

They admitted to bringing some animal carcasses out of the forest but claimed it was to perform a merit-making ceremony for the animals’ souls.