A woman caught on tape tossing bags containing live cats over a wall into the Wat Pho compound was fined THB10,000 on Monday.
The woman, who was not identified, was fined for one count of animal cruelty. She told police and animal activists that she could no longer afford to feed the five cats due to an allergy so she decided to “give” them to the Buddhist temple.
She said she chose Wat Pho because she noticed that the temple takes good care of stray cats.
A CCTV camera in the area caught the woman arriving at the temple complex at around 7pm on Sunday. Wearing a balaclava, she stepped out of a pickup truck and threw the bags, one by one, into the temple.
Temple staff reported the incident to local police, who then tracked down the truck by its license plate and called the driver and woman in for questioning.
The incident was also captured by a good samaritan whose footage and photos got the attention of several animal lovers.
After the woman was charged and fined, Bangkok animal NGO The Voice Foundation posted a thank you.
“Thank you to the power of social media. This is the example of abandoning pets and pushing the burden to temples. If you aren’t ready, please don’t adopt a pet. And if you cannot take care of them anymore, you should find a home for them, not abandon them like this,” The Voice wrote.
The five cats were taken by the foundation, which said it would find them homes and neuter them.
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