Forty dead tiger cubs have been found in a freezer at a Thai Buddhist temple by Wildlife authorities on Wednesday.

The Buddhist temple in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, officially known as Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, had become a tourist destination where visitors could bottle-feed the cubs or help with their exercise routine and pose for photographs.

The temple promotes itself as a wildlife sanctuary, but in recent years, it has been investigated for suspected links to wildlife trafficking and animal abuse. Since 2001, authorities have been locked in a battle with the monks at the temple to confiscate the tigers. In the latest move on Monday, Police and wildlife officials had a raid at the temple to bring the tigers under state control.

The 40 dead tiger cubs were found in a freezer in a kitchen area, said Adisorn Nuchdamrong, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks. “They must be of some value for the temple to keep them,” he said. “But for what is beyond me.”

An antler from a deer and the body of a binturong, a protected species commonly known as a bearcat, as well as a cow horn were also discovered along with the cub carcasses. The officials displayed the bodies of the cubs to media at the temple.

However, Monks at the temple were not immediately available for comment but have previously denied trafficking allegations.

Officials have removed 52 live tigers from the Temple in ongoing operation after allegations of wildlife trafficking. The Wildlife Conservation Office (WCO) is investigating the motives behind the temple storing the bodies and is looking into the possibility that it is smuggling tiger parts, said Teunjai Noochdumrong, WCO director.