The Year of the Tiger has been billed as the big cat's best chance to escape extinction, but activists say poaching and government inaction are undermining a campaign to double the number of wild tigers.

A premier tourist site, Thailand's Tiger Temple, is billed as a sanctuary for rescued animals.

But there are growing fears of a more sinister reality.

Conservationists claim to have unmasked evidence of animal abuse and say the temple is doing nothing to protect the species.

The Tiger Temple refused to speak to AFP about the allegations.

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