Zoo denies Moo Deng exploitation claim
published : 26 Feb 2025 at 08:30
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Apinya Wipatayotin
The natural resources minister has rejected claims by foreign animal rights groups that Thailand is unethically exploiting celebrity pygmy hippo Moo Deng for monetary gain.
The minister said on Tuesday the care being given the young hippo was fully up to international standards.
The American activist group People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Born Free Foundation last week called on tourists not to visit the 7-month-old hippo at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri. They alleged the zoo was exploiting its young star and had failed to meet her natural needs.
The minister said the zoo's director confirmed it complied with all international standards of animal welfare.
He invited the two groups to visit and confirm for themselves the good care being taken of animals at the zoo. Their claims could negatively affect tourism, he said.
Vocabulary
- claim (noun): saying that something is true although it has not been proved and other people may not believe it - ข้ออ้าง ข้อกล่าวหา
- comply: to obey a rule or law, or to do what someone asks you to do - ปฏิบัติตามกฎหมาย
- deny: to say that something is not true or does not exist - ปฏิเสธ
- ethically (adv): concerning what is right and wrong; concerning what is morally correct or acceptable - ตามหลักจรรยา, ตามหลักจริยธรรม
- exploit: to treat someone unfairly in order to get some benefit for yourself - หาประโยชน์จาก
- exploitation: unfair treatment of someone, or the use of a situation in a way that is wrong - การใช้หาประโยชน์อย่างไม่ถูกต้อง
- gain: a benefit, or an advantage - ผลประโยชน์
- monetary (adj): connected with money, especially all the money in a country - เกี่ยวกับเงินตรา, เกี่ยวกับตัวเงิน, เกี่ยวกับการเงิน
- standards: a level of quality that is normal or acceptable for a particular person or in a particular situation - มาตรฐาน, บรรทัดฐาน
- welfare: good care and living conditions, in this case, for animals - ความสะดวกสบาย, ความมีสุขภาพดี, สวัสดิภาพ
