A man has been arrested after breaking into a zoo to feed its abandoned animals, but the reasoning behind his move is harrowing.
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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.
Tigers in zoos live miserable and sad life in cages. Don't patronize zoos and let them live in their natural habita… https://t.co/PKa27Yfq8A— PETA India (@PETA India)1587888000.0
Cages are no places for animals...
Tigers aren’t the only ones who are torn from their mothers and abused at roadside zoos. #TigerKing… https://t.co/ksoj2PpVoo— PETA (@PETA)1588028642.0
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...
@SkyNews Set them free. Take them back to their natural habitats. Nobody will want to see animals behind bars after lockdown.— SUSAN (@SUSAN)1587851949.0
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...
Wait whaaaaaatttt "We've listed the animals we'll have to slaughter first," Neumünster Zoo's Verena Kaspari told D… https://t.co/AJBVB9ZkYu— Libby Hogan (@Libby Hogan)1586939452.0
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.