Australian, American among four charged for ‘Abandoned Phuket Zoo’ post

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, shackleton said:

It's quite amazing what people will do here in Thailand 

No  sympathy for them breaking the law

Deserve the consequences 

Feeding hungry animals is against the law?

[Muzzique]

These Animal rights weirdos should keep out of other peoples business. They are supposed to be on lockdown but they can't stop breaking the rules and poking their nose in where's it not needed. Their 3rd video is a complete backtrack on the first 2.  It basically says "Everything is fine and we made this all up".

 

Just lining their own pockets and using the virus as a smoke screen to do it. Bang 'em up and throw away the key along with the rest of their lentil eating friends. 

[Docno]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

One of these was white (the girl).

Two Thai names, one Viet name.

"Hussein Ahmad" is not exactly a typical 'Thai name' either … 

 

 

[lensta]

48 minutes ago, Wildliferescue said:

I am the founder and director of the Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand and have been in touch for over a week with the group of people that filmed and posted the videos of the Phuket Zoo a few weeks ago, it is the same group that started the fundraiser online.

 

I am aware of some of the comments posted on ThaiVisa and I would like to give you my view on the story;

 

Some of the tigers in the video were skinny but old, which is normal for a tiger to be a bit thin at that age, however the animals were indeed neglected and did not get the right nutrition or amounts of nutrition at that time. The enclosures were extremely dirty and had not been cleaned for weeks at the time of the video. Once authorities and local media visited the zoo after the International outcry, all cages were cleaned up as the zoo received notice of the check-up a few days in advance. While people focus on the tigers, I would like to add that the bears and crocodiles were in worse and even more horrendous condition at the time.

 

You might argue that the campaigners were too fast in posting the cry for help and the online fundraiser, without consulting the owners of the zoo or local charities working on issues as this one, but they did communicate with the zoo keepers and manager of the zoo at that time who were happy to receive food supplies on a daily bases. Evidence of these food deliveries have been posted frequently online. The zoo keepers and manager of the zoo have stated several times the zoo was in financial trouble, was to be closed down and could not feed all animals without help. The fact that government officials are now also feeding the animals (see the article on Phuket News) should be proof enough to see there is a serious issue ongoing, I would like to ask these officials where these funds come from as the government has no budgets set aside for such issues. 

 

I have been in touch with both the zoo and the group of fundraisers for the last weeks. Right now the zoo is going to file for closure and many of the animals will need to be relocated, which will cost a lot of money if they are going to need decent rehoming. The zoo plans to move the most “popular” animals such as the tigers and orangutans to a new facility called the Phuket Bird Park. The other animals will then probably be sold or dumped. 

 

The group of fundraisers have claimed until date that they did not touch any of the money from the online fundraiser and said they are not planning to touch any of it until there is a way they can spend it on directly helping the Phuket Zoo animals. Food donations till now were paid for out of people’s own pockets both by foreign and Thai members of the above-mentioned group.

 

The legal charges by the zoo against the group are outrageous, filing for trespassing and computer crimes for which very high penalties exist. The zoo has been aware of the efforts to feed the animals and from the beginning were informed and ok with it. 

 

In the meantime, if anyone questions the reputation of the Phuket zoo as an innocent or nice facility, I would challenge you in doing a search on Google on the search terms of “Phuket Zoo”, “Milo”, “Dumbo”, or just animal torture.

 

Edwin Wiek

Director and Founder

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)

 

Hopefully your post will shut the mouths of the ar se wipes that called the efforts of these people a scam.

[ChouDoufu]

2 hours ago, hansgruber said:

How can the zoo be abandoned when the owner lives directly across the road in that huge mansion? The zoo is on their doorstep. 

The land that the zoo sits is also their land. 

They entered private property and broke the law. 

When will farangs learn you can't come to Thailand and change things?. Let Thailand be Thailand. 

The zoo was in the process of finding new homes for the animals and closing down anyway.

 

heck, we saw it on youtube, so it's gotta be true!

 

bunch a criminals broke into a zoo "as a lark" (their words), filmed themselves throwing tree branches into the crocodile enclosure, and saw a scary tigger.

 

the next day, they went back, and were confronted by zookeepers.  as everyone knows, abandoned zoos have staff on the premises.

 

but the mean, nasty zooman said random folks can't just break into a zoo and throw food into the pens.  let 'em try that at any zoo in the west.  go ahead, i dares 'em.

 

they must have been on a mission from dog.

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Docno said:

"Hussein Ahmad" is not exactly a typical 'Thai name' either … 

 

 

It is in Phuket, a largely Muslim area.

Edited April 24, 2020 by BritManToo

[moe666]

In the end do not break into someone elses property, the property isn't yours the animals are not yours, in other words none of your business. 

[ChouDoufu]

19 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Feeding hungry animals is against the law?

some random foreigner and his mates are worried about your family.

 

they break into your home while you're at work.  they think your childrens' bedrooms are messy and the bathroom is filthy. 

 

your wife confronts them when they begin feeding your children scraps they brought from some wet market.

 

they make videos to post on youtube. 

 

they start a gofundme to save your children.

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

they think your childrens' bedrooms are messy and the bathroom is filthy. 

Sounds like my step-daughters bedroom.

And her bathroom, she'd used some facial mudpack, looked like a hippo's swimming hole, all the drains were blocked.

The locals quite often bring round food or fruit, if there's nobody around I often find it left on the kitchen table.

It isn't considered breaking in, but an act of generosity and goodwill.

Edited April 24, 2020 by BritManToo

[Rimmer]

Troll post and reply removed

[ChouDoufu]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Sounds like my step-daughters bedroom.

And her bathroom, she'd used some facial mudpack, looked like a hippo's swimming hole, all the drains were blocked.

The locals quite often bring round food or fruit, if there's nobody around I often find it left on the kitchen table.

It isn't considered breaking in, but an act of generosity and goodwill.

 

allrighty then, let's consider.........

 

a group of chinese tourists wander into your home, and despite your wife's protests, they begin feeding bat soup to your kids.

 

 

but seriously, they are guilty of breaking and entering and trespass, not to mention the computer crimes laws.  they didn't go into the zoo to save the animals, they went in because they thought it would be fun.

 

i'd bet if they knocked at the main gate, the workers would have told them they were closed, but for a couple hundred baht they could have gotten a private tour.  if they were concerned about the animals' welfare, there are proper channels.  it seems they were more interested in their video going viral and getting all the likes.

[BritManToo]

Just now, ChouDoufu said:

a group of chinese tourists wander into your home, and despite your wife's protests, they begin feeding bat soup to your kids.

Gate security wouldn't let them into the MooBaan.

[xvend]

LOL the 3rd video????

 

 

[from the home of CC]

throw em to the lions..

[yuyiinthesky]

1 hour ago, Wildliferescue said:

I am the founder and director of the Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand and have been in touch for over a week with the group of people that filmed and posted the videos of the Phuket Zoo a few weeks ago, it is the same group that started the fundraiser online.

 

I am aware of some of the comments posted on ThaiVisa and I would like to give you my view on the story;

 

Some of the tigers in the video were skinny but old, which is normal for a tiger to be a bit thin at that age, however the animals were indeed neglected and did not get the right nutrition or amounts of nutrition at that time. The enclosures were extremely dirty and had not been cleaned for weeks at the time of the video. Once authorities and local media visited the zoo after the International outcry, all cages were cleaned up as the zoo received notice of the check-up a few days in advance. While people focus on the tigers, I would like to add that the bears and crocodiles were in worse and even more horrendous condition at the time.

 

You might argue that the campaigners were too fast in posting the cry for help and the online fundraiser, without consulting the owners of the zoo or local charities working on issues as this one, but they did communicate with the zoo keepers and manager of the zoo at that time who were happy to receive food supplies on a daily bases. Evidence of these food deliveries have been posted frequently online. The zoo keepers and manager of the zoo have stated several times the zoo was in financial trouble, was to be closed down and could not feed all animals without help. The fact that government officials are now also feeding the animals (see the article on Phuket News) should be proof enough to see there is a serious issue ongoing, I would like to ask these officials where these funds come from as the government has no budgets set aside for such issues. 

 

I have been in touch with both the zoo and the group of fundraisers for the last weeks. Right now the zoo is going to file for closure and many of the animals will need to be relocated, which will cost a lot of money if they are going to need decent rehoming. The zoo plans to move the most “popular” animals such as the tigers and orangutans to a new facility called the Phuket Bird Park. The other animals will then probably be sold or dumped. 

 

The group of fundraisers have claimed until date that they did not touch any of the money from the online fundraiser and said they are not planning to touch any of it until there is a way they can spend it on directly helping the Phuket Zoo animals. Food donations till now were paid for out of people’s own pockets both by foreign and Thai members of the above-mentioned group.

 

The legal charges by the zoo against the group are outrageous, filing for trespassing and computer crimes for which very high penalties exist. The zoo has been aware of the efforts to feed the animals and from the beginning were informed and ok with it. 

 

In the meantime, if anyone questions the reputation of the Phuket zoo as an innocent or nice facility, I would challenge you in doing a search on Google on the search terms of “Phuket Zoo”, “Milo”, “Dumbo”, or just animal torture.

 

Edwin Wiek

Director and Founder

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)

 

 

Thanks for clarifying. 

Unfortunately this will get ignored by the usual TVF experts here, which, locked in their rooms, try to bash everybody and everything to vent their anger and frustration about being locked up.

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

i'd bet if they knocked at the main gate, the workers would have told them they were closed, but for a couple hundred baht they could have gotten a private tour.  if they were concerned about the animals' welfare, there are proper channels.  it seems they were more interested in their video going viral and getting all the likes.

The videos seem to show him walking in the main gate with the Zoo staff helping carry in the food from his car.

[Wildliferescue]

Would like to add to my earlier statement that the Thai media is mentioning that the mother of the Zoo owner had given the four people permission to enter the zoo and has stated as such in a statement to police yesterday. I wonder why the English written story has kept that out, including ThaiVisa? Seems to me to be an important piece of information for people to form an opinion on the whole matter. 

Edited April 24, 2020 by Wildliferescue

[Hubble]

6 hours ago, Snackbar said:

Wait for the ‘go fund me page’.

 

Oh dear, there’s a price to pay for being arrogant and stupid in this part of the world.

 

These clowns are headed for The Monkey House. 

The Monkey House? Isn't that where they took the photos?

[ChouDoufu]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

The videos seem to show him walking in the main gate with the Zoo staff helping carry in the food from his car.

that's an update.  check the first video, they went for a walk and came across what they believed to be an abandoned zoo.  they were apparently not aware of its existence beforehand.  they "got in there for a bit of a laugh..."

 

animal lovers at 00:59 throw log into animal enclosure.  what a hoot!  "it was exciting, so we were having a bit of a laugh."

 

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by ChouDoufu

[Logosone]

So clearly the Zoo did neglect the animals and was not able financially to feed them or pay for keeping their enclosures in a decent state.

 

Had these Australians not trespassed and done the videos police would not have come, and authorities would not be helping to feed animals which the owner has admitted he can not feed.

 

They did the right thing, animals are better off because of them, and now they will get slapped with computer crimes and trespass by people pressing charges who were happy to take money from them to help feed their animals.

 

What a nice owner and what great justice police have wrought.

[time2093]

5 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

So the owner of the zoo a banded the animals the animals are not being taken care of or fed how come the please are going after the Thai owner for not taking care of his animals TIT

Because the owner is Thai duhh...

[ChouDoufu]

5 minutes ago, Wildliferescue said:

Would like to add to my earlier statement that the Thai media is mentioning that the mother of the Zoo owner had given the four people permission to enter the zoo and has stated as such in a statement to police yesterday. I wonder why the English written story has kept that out, including ThaiVisa? Seems to me to be an important piece of information for people to form an opinion on the whole matter. 

yes, she may have given permission AFTER the video came out.

 

from first video at 01:38

 

"...so we moved along, and we're walking cautiously cause umm, we weren't sure who was there or whether we were allowed to be there.  there was no sign saying we weren't allowed to be there, so...."

[Sujo]

18 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

that's an update.  check the first video, they went for a walk and came across what they believed to be an abandoned zoo.  they were apparently not aware of its existence beforehand.  they "got in there for a bit of a laugh..."

 

animal lovers at 00:59 throw log into animal enclosure.  what a hoot!  "it was exciting, so we were having a bit of a laugh."

 

 

Have you actually read any of the posts on here from someone that knows the situation? I think not.

 

They had permission.

[Sujo]

12 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

yes, she may have given permission AFTER the video came out.

 

from first video at 01:38

 

"...so we moved along, and we're walking cautiously cause umm, we weren't sure who was there or whether we were allowed to be there.  there was no sign saying we weren't allowed to be there, so...."

And yet here you are condeming them when thre is no evidence they did wrong. But there is evidence they did the right thing.

 

perhaps you should step back and reconsider why you think like that when the evidence is against your view.

[Muzzique]

10 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

"...so we moved along, and we're walking cautiously cause umm, we weren't sure who was there or whether we were allowed to be there.  there was no sign saying we weren't allowed to be there, so...."

 

Sounds like a good excuse for breaking into a bank...  'There was no sign saying we weren't allowed to be there, so....'

[marko kok prong]

2 hours ago, Logosone said:

 

Well, exactly. If you have animals you have a duty of care. You have to ensure they have a proper environment. Those animals wallowing in filth show the zoo owner breached his duty of care and neglected those animals.

 

Yet the Thai police arrests only the people who call attention to the neglect, but not the person responsible for the neglect?

 

Something very wrong here.

Have you got some kind of mental thing where you just keep saying 'wallowing in filth" i mean we get the picture okay!

[ChouDoufu]

5 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Have you actually read any of the posts on here from someone that knows the situation? I think not.

 

They had permission.

his words from his video from his youtube channel:

 

"...so we moved along, and we're walking cautiously cause umm, we weren't sure who was there or whether we were allowed to be there.  there was no sign saying we weren't allowed to be there, so...."

[Airbagwill]

Typical response from the Thai authorities.

Shoot the messenger.

 

the country needs to hang its head in shame over their treatment of both captive animals and wildlife.

 

It's an utter disgrace and those who promote these absurd laws are morally as Brett and  guilt as the perpetrators

[tifino]

at least this 'unwanted' attention would now ensure the animals get to eat tonight

[Pedrogaz]

7 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

Times are tight, people are just trying to make money. 

Quite revolting. Personally I don't care if they were hard up....I hope a long stretch in prison will make them rethink their greed.