A Scots volunteer who worked at the controversial Tiger Temple in Thailand says she has been left "devastated" by details of alleged wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty at the Buddhist institution.

During a raid on Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua earlier this week, Thai police and wildlife officials found 40 tiger cub carcasses in a freezer while attempting to remove live animals from the premises.

On Thursday, Thai authorities confirmed they had also detained a monk attempting to smuggle tiger skins and fangs from the area.

Temple operators have been accused of wildlife trafficking, animal abuse and illegally possessing carcasses and endangered species, but 24-year-old Jenna Louise Boyce says most staff say they had no idea any illegal activity was being carried out.

"We're just devastated," says Jenna, from East Kilbride, who has volunteered at the temple on two occasions.

"It has been a big shock to everyone that some people from inside the sanctuary could have been doing this to the animals we love and care for."

A recently qualified animal biology and veterinary nursing student, Jenna says she was initially wary of what she might find at the temple before her arrival there, after reading previous reports of animals rights concerns.

"But I volunteered twice in the temple and not once saw any form of abuse or cruelty towards the animals there," she says. "I only saw staff dedicated to the care of the tigers."

Jenna, who spent six weeks at the temple last year and a further month there in January 2016, also says she was told by other staff that the remains in the freezer on site were frozen as proof that animals who died there of natural causes were not being sold on the black market.

"They were still-born cubs kept there by a vet who used to work there - a vet who now works for the officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation," she says.

"I truly believe that the animals were loved and looked after by the volunteers, the foreign staff and many of the Thai staff also."

Police Col Bandith Meungsukhum confirmed to AFP that the cubs they uncovered would have been one or two days old, but said it was not clear how long they had been dead.

The bodies will be DNA tested to see whether they were related to other tigers at the site.

Authorities also confiscated two full-length tiger skins from the monk detained this morning, along with about 700 amulets made from tiger parts and 10 tiger fangs, Teunchai Noochdumrong, director of of the Wildlife Conservation Office, told the BBC.

Officials have taken away 61 of the 137 live tigers from Tiger Temple and the 1000-strong police operation is due to continue all week.

Since 2001, authorities have been locked in a battle with the monks at the temple to confiscate the tigers after allegations of wildlife trafficking and abuse surfaced.

The "Tiger Temple Report" by the Australian conservation group Cee4life, released in January of this year, contained allegations that the Tiger Temple was trafficking wildlife through Laos.

The operators deny all allegations and have resisted previous attempts to remove the tigers.

The temple, situated in Kanchanaburi province, has been a go-to site for many tourists over the decades, with visitors allowed to pose for photographs with the tigers or help with their exercise routine.

According to staff, the Buddhist temple received their first tiger cub around 14 years ago after its mother had been killed by poachers. As word spread, more orphaned cubs were brought to them and the sanctuary grew from there.

But animal rights campaigners have long campaigned to close the temple down. Peta said animals there are "imprisoned and denied everything that is important to them" and the president of the Born Free Foundation, William Travers, says international concerns have long been raised about the situation there.

"It's not only about the safety of people being so close to these tigers but also for the tigers themselves," says William.

"We have towards people and I have substantiated claims of at least three tigers from there who have had their body parts used for traditional medicine."

While Mr Travers describes the way the tigers have been removed as far from ideal, he says it gives the international community a key opportunity to support the Thai authorities to implement positive changes to animal welfare in the country.

"It's a pretty dreadful situation and is quite a challenge but I think this is the time for the Thai authorities to address wildlife trafficking and trade, especially in ivory and tiger parts," he says.

"It's a crowded situation at the moment with a lot of voices involved, but we will continue to advocate for the welfare of the wildlife there. We can only encourage the Thai authorities to do what is best for the animals."

It's a sentiment that Jenna Boyce agrees with. "I want to do everything I can to help the animals that I and many others loved," she says.

"The place they are being kept in now is causing them unnecessary stress. We have video footage of one tiger, Dawie, who has already injured himself by repeatedly rubbing his face against the bars of the cage they have put him in.

"I want to ensure they are moved to a home where they are loved and respected and can live the rest of their lives in peace.

"At the moment they are not where they should be and it is breaking my heart to see them that way."