Two Elderly Monks Care for 60 Abandoned Animals on Meager Stipends
Two elderly monks at Don Khaek Temple in Sukhothai care for over 60 abandoned animals on a combined monthly income of less than 1,000 baht, relying on donations and salvaged alms to survive.
At Don Khaek Temple in Sukhothai's Khong Krai Lash District, two elderly monks—Abbot Phra Khru Sopit Thammaprasan, 69, and Luang Ta Lop—jointly care for over 60 animals comprising eight horses, four piglets, 19 dogs, and about 30 cats. They fund this work with personal donations, the abbot's monthly salary, and Luang Ta Lop's elderly welfare payment of 600 baht per month. The abbot explained that about ten years ago villagers donated three horses to the temple, which have since bred into eight animals; the original pair later died from illness. Daily, the monks tether the horses around the temple grounds, and when pasture is insufficient, they cut grass from outside and transport it by vehicle to feed them. The abbot also stated that the temple currently has only two monks who must care for all the horses, pigs, and abandoned dogs and cats without pause. Alms-based food is insufficient to feed the animals, so they save money from donations, the abbot's salary, and elderly welfare payments to buy compressed hay, rice, and fish, living on whatever they manage to obtain. The horse shelter has been severely damaged by storms and the monks are requesting donations of building materials and supplies for repairs.
