PHUKET: An American teenager is facing a criminal charge after he was caught molesting at least two pregnant horses, causing one of them to miscarry.
Chatroj Lek-arwut, 50, and Prapada Lek-arwut, a couple who own a local stable, filed a complaint with the Thalang police on Tuesday alleging an 18-year-old American tourist molested three mares named Mali, Gina and A-ngoon.
Video from CCTV installed at the stable showed the teenager inserting his hand and arm into the vulvas of the mares on different occasions during his visits, according to the couple.
The molestation is thought to have caused Mali, who was nine months pregnant, to miscarry. Gina is not pregnant but has shown signs of irritation from the contact, they said.
A-ngoon, on other hand, developed an infection — most probably from the molestation — and has been administered antibiotics that could endanger the four-month-old foal it is carrying.
Ms Prapada said the American teen appeared to be a normal visitor who often dropped by the stable. However, the couple noted the mares he visited had mucus around the openings of their sexual organs.
Suthat Niyomthai, a veterinarian with the Provincial Livestock Development Office, examined the mare A-ngoon and confirmed the infection. He admitted there was no telling whether the antibiotics he has administered to save her life could trigger a miscarriage.
Local police have invited the American teenager, who is staying with his parents near the stable, for questioning on March 16, said Pol Maj Yutthapol Wattaset, an inspector at the Thalang station.
Dr Apichat Jariyavilas, a spokesman for the Department of Mental Health, said the teen’s actions were considered a form of zoophilia — a mental disorder that requires psychiatric attention.
Note: An earlier version of this story headlined “Breeder says mare miscarried after abuse by foreigner” contained factual inaccuracies and has been taken down