Heartbreaking footage shows hundreds of turtles piling up on top of each other in cramped and dry pools at a Buddhist temple.<br /><br />The protected amphibians were being kept for several years illegally and without their much-needed water at the religious building in Ang Thong, central Thailand.<br /><br />Monks running the facility believed that they were carrying out good deeds that would bring them positive karma, or merit, by hoarding the creatures.<br /><br />However, shocked wildlife workers received complaints about the appalling conditions of the creatures and raided the temple on Thursday (January 30) morning.<br /><br />As well as being cruel, the country also classes turtles as a protected species and it is illegal for anyone to keep them in captivity.<br /><br />In total, there were 563 turtles including 369 yellow-headed temple turtles, 158 giant Asian pond turtles and 36 Asian box turtles.<br /><br />The Royal Forestry Department has now begun to investigate and ordered the temple to improve the living conditions.<br /><br />Head monk Deva Suwanmunee said the temple did not intend to secretly keep the turtles and blamed locals for dumping them in the temple grounds.<br /><br />He said: "We never smuggled the turtles into the temple but they were all brought here by local farmers who found them in their land and did not want to kill them.<br /><br />"The temple is always the first place that comes into people's minds when they want to get rid of animals.<br /><br />"We did not know as well that these turtles were reserved animals. Our duty as Buddhists is to nurture them and keep them alive."<br /><br />Wildlife officers have dropped the case against the temple but they will instead target the locals who took the turtles there.<br /><br />Monks will continue looking after the creatures while working with the government to have them rehired in sanctuaries or released.<br /><br />Turtle caretaker Prajob Kaewto, 66, said the animals used to live in much worse conditions at the temple, roaming around in the muddy grounds, before a local philanthropist built a ceramic pool for them.<br /><br />She said: "Residents always brought turtles here and we never refused to take them in. They used to live in a muddy puddle until a benefactor built a ceramic tank to extend their living area.<br /><br />"However, people kept bringing more and more so the tank started to become crowded.''
