Man Arrested After Breaking Into Zoo to Feed 'Abandoned' Animals | 22 Words

A man has been arrested after breaking into a zoo to feed its abandoned animals, but the reasoning behind his move is harrowing.

Keep scrolling to find out more...

Over the years, zoos have become more and more controversial...

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 And today, many perceive them as inhumane and cruel. But things weren't always like this.

Zoos were once a very popular family attraction...

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 And the excitement of seeing exotic animals in enclosures completely overrode the concept of cruelty.

Of course, there are many zoos out there that work as animal sanctuaries and reserves...

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 And these sanctuaries take care of wild animals who are endangered or cannot survive alone in the wild.

But the majority of zoos are considered inhumane and inappropriate.

PETA, which is one of the world's biggest animal activist groups, campaigns strongly against zoos and keeping animals in "makeshift prisons" and they work tirelessly to allow these animals to live in their natural habitats.

Cages are no places for animals...

But sadly, zoos all around the world are now banking in millions of dollars and they are vital to numerous economies worldwide - especially in big countries such as here in the United States.

Activists have been working tirelessly for years now to try and rescue animals in captivity...

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 But now, in the current climate, concern for zoo animals is greater than ever.

The global pandemic has caused worldwide lockdowns...

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 And thanks to extreme social distancing measures, millions are now unable to go to work - including zoo workers.

Millions of zoos are now closed to the public.

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 But unlike many other businesses that have closed their doors due to the pandemic, zoos simply can't lay dormant and lay off their workers.

The poor animals stuck in zoos still need to be cared for...

And zoo maintenance needs to be kept on top of, which requires daily workers.

Animal activists and lovers have been expressing concern over how these animals will be cared for...

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 And when a German zoo proposed the possibility of euthanizing their animals - or even feeding them to one another - people began to panic.

This concept horrified many...

And several individuals have begun making moves to help the animals themselves.

But one man in Thailand recently dealt with the force of the law after desperately trying to help animals in a local zoo.

Minh Nguyen, who is from Australia, has been traveling around Thailand with 3 friends recently.

He is a very experienced traveler...

But when Minh was in Phuket, he stumbled across an abandoned zoo.

Minh began documenting the zoo on his Instagram page and YouTube channel.

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 He discussed the harrowing reality of the abandoned zoo, speaking about how all the animals, including crocodiles, tigers, bears, and monkeys, seemed to have been left for dead without any food.

It is heartbreaking to witness...

And when Minh and his friends came across a couple of zoo workers, they seemed reluctant to feed the animals (who were all showing signs of distress) and even though the young man had meat with him, he wasn't "allowed" to feed the animals and instead, the workers wanted him to give them money.

According to Minh...

The owner of the zoo came out and claimed that they couldn't afford to feed the animals.

This is disgraceful.

Minh was devastated by the conditions that these poor animals were abandoned in, so he decided to set up a GoFundMe page in an attempt to have these animals reduced and rehabilitated.

Even though Minh has so far raised over $45,000 for the animals...

He and his 3 friends were recently arrested by Phuket police for "trespassing" on the zoo's grounds.

The group were charged with trespassing on private property and breaching Thailand's Computer Crimes Act.

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 However, Minh's lawyer has claimed that the incident was a "misunderstanding" because the group was told by the zoo owner's mother that they were allowed to enter the premises to feed the animals. Minh said, "When we did get charged and arrested, the older brother and mother (of the owner) came down to be witnesses for us."

Minh will be going to court on May 25th...

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 "There is a bit of a divide among the shareholders as to how the zoo should run. When I go to court, that's when I will know if they want to make a case or not, but I doubt they will... I just want to help the animals," he said.

Phuket Wildlife Authorities have since conducted an inspection of the zoo...

And unbelievably, they found "the zoo has enough food to feed the animals", adding that the animals were in "perfect condition."

We sincerely hope from the bottom of our hearts that these animals are rescued soon...

And we hope that Minh will be able to walk away from the charges and continue his hard work towards saving these beautiful creatures. Make sure to keep scrolling to read about the 2 pandas in quarantine together at Hong Kong zoo...