The only way to meet this demand, she explained, was "speed breeding": removing newborn cubs from their mothers. That puts females in heat again, and they can bear at least two litters a year — instead of one litter about every two years, as in the wild.
Foxcroft has compiled a list that identifies 281 tigers that passed through the temple from 1999 to 2015. She said the difference between 281 and the 147 tigers known to be at the temple is too great to be accounted for by deaths alone. Tigers in captivity normally live from 16 to 22 years.