Australian man is arrested in Thailand after breaking into a zoo to feed ‘abandoned’ tigers he thought were left to die because of COVID-19
- An Australian man has been arrested in Thailand for trying to help zoo animals
- Minh Nguyen has been charged with trespassing and computer crimes by police
- Nguyen and four friends entered what they thought was abandoned Phuket Zoo
- Inside they saw tigers, elephants and other animals they thought were left to die
- The group returned with food and began a fundraiser, but zoo owner complained
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
An Australian man has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly breaking into what he thought was an ‘abandoned zoo’ to feed hungry tigers, elephants and monkeys.
Minh Nguyen had raised more than $45,000 to help his efforts to feed the animals at Phuket Zoo when he and three friends, including an American woman, were arrested by police.
Nguyen shared videos to YouTube over recent weeks after stumbling across what he believed were dozens of animals left to die inside the zoo due to COVID-19.
Shocked at what he found and desperate to do more, he returned to the zoo the next day with food and water – before starting a fundraiser to help the animals long-term.
But he told Daily Mail Australia that his good intentions of caring for the animals ended in police knocking on his door when the zoo owner became aware of his online videos.
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Minh Nguyen had raised more than $45,000 to help his efforts to feed the animals at Phuket Zoo when he and three friends, including an American woman, were arrested by police
Mr Nguyen shared videos to YouTube over recent weeks after stumbling across what he believed were dozens of animals left to die inside the zoo due to COVID-19
In one of Mr Nguyen’s first videos a caged tiger could be heard wailing, to the shock of he and his friends.
‘I thought they’d been left abandoned, so I went back the next day with food and saw the zookeepers, when I realised they obviously weren’t abandoned,’ Mr Nguyen said.
‘But I spoke to a zookeeper who said they couldn’t afford to feed them and so that is when I put together a fundraiser to feed the animals.’
Those claims were rubbished by the zoo’s owner, who told a local paper ‘the animals were not left to starve’ and that they were being ‘adequately cared for’.
An inspection by Phuket wildlife authorities found ‘the zoo had enough food to feed the animals and that the animals were in perfect condition’.
Mr Nguyen said that in the days since he first entered the zoo in mid-April, significant efforts had been made by zoo staff and owners.
‘They have definitely cleaned up the cages and the tigers look happier and are being fed,’ he said.
In the wake of Mr Nguyen’s claims on YouTube and GoFundMe, the zoo’s owners filed a complaint with Phuket Police who arrested Mr Nguyen and his friends, including an American woman Joy Marie Somers.
An inspection by Phuket wildlife authorities reportedly found ‘the zoo had enough food to feed the animals and that the animals were in perfect condition’
The zoo’s owners filed a complaint with Phuket Police who arrested Mr Nguyen and his friends, including an American woman Joy Marie Somers (pictured). The group will face court in May
They were charged with trespassing on private property and breaching Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act.
The group’s lawyer claims the incident is a ‘misunderstanding’, with Mr Nguyen told by the zoo owner’s mother he was allowed to enter the premises to feed the animals.
‘When we did get charged and arrested, the older brother and mother (of the owner) came down to be witnesses for us,’ Mr Nguyen said.
‘There is a bit of a divide among the shareholders as to how the zoo should run.
‘I’ll be going to court on May 25. That’s when I will know if they want to make a case of it or not, but I doubt they will… I just want to help the animals.’
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