Four people, convinced that Phuket Zoo had been abandoned due to the coronavirus lockdown, broke in so that they could “feed the animals.” Major General Rungrote Thakurapunyasiri, Phuket’s Police Commander, named the trespassers as Australian Minh Nguyen, American Joy Marian Somers and Thai nationals Hussein Ahmad and Hassun Kohkhar.
Minh Nguyen had previously gained access to the zoo and recorded a number of videos of conditions inside the zoo. He claimed that the animals were going hungry, and started a fundraiser to buy them food which collected some $45,000.
But the zoo’s owner, Suriya Tanthaweewong, became aware of the videos being shared online and called the police. Mr Suriya told police that the zoo “had never abandoned the