Tenants leave shopping centre over animal cruelty

In the upper floors of a shopping centre in Bangkok (Thailand) lies the Pata Zoo – one of the worst zoos in the world.

Brands such as Watsons and Lotus have now confirmed that they will not be renewing their leases in the shopping centre with owner Kanit Sermsirimongkol, after learning of the unspeakable suffering endured by the wild animals there.

A female gorilla named Bua Noi has been kept alone behind bars in the zoo on the seventh floor since 1983. And then there is Kat, an orangutan who should be living in the jungle canopy of Borneo, but is instead confined to a dark and dingy cage, with little opportunity for psychological stimulation or physical exercise.

All the animals in this indoor zoo are suffering – they are denied sunlight, fresh air, and the ability to move around or engage in the behaviours that give their lives meaning. Social animals such as gorillas can only thrive in the company of their own kind, but at Pata Zoo this fundamental need is denied to them – in Bua Noi’s case, for decades.

PETA has repeatedly offered the director of Pata Zoo, Kanit Sermsirimongkol, to assist in placing the exploited wild animals in reputable sanctuaries, where they would have trees to climb, grass to roll in, and other animals to socialise with.Unforgivably, he has refused.

Lower Hell

On the lower floor are nocturnal animals, reptiles, and amphibians. Of particular interest are the many albino Burmese pythons, which the zoo successfully breeds. Also on display are specimens of the giant freshwater stingray, the largest freshwater stingray in the world and an endangered species.

Animal welfare advocates submitted a petition with 35’000 signatures to Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) in September 2014, calling for the closure of the zoo and the immediate removal of Bua Noi. The DNP responded by stating that it could not revoke the Pata Zoo's license, as the zoo had not violated any laws. The DNP's director-general argued that the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act did not prohibit keeping animals in high-rise buildings, and that the Pata Zoo was therefore not breaking the law by operating a zoo on top of a building.

In March 2015, it was reported that Thai authorities had accused the Pata Zoo of violating several laws and ordered the removal of all large animals, including Bua Noi, from the zoo. The zoo refused to release the gorilla or transfer her to another zoo. As of February 2020, Bua Noi remained in captivity at the zoo. Following a fire at the zoo later that year, actress Gillian Anderson and PETA wrote to the owner urging him to «honestly reflect on what life is like for the animals there and come to the decision to close the zoo.« At the end of 2020, singer Cher wrote a letter to Thailand's Minister of the Environment, asking him to «find it in his heart« to help her in her mission to free the gorilla.

Cosmetics company Cute Press and cosmetics company Oriental Princess are now also terminating their tenancies in this shopping centre. PETA has written to the remaining tenants asking them to follow the example of Watsons and Lotus, end their leases at the shopping centre, and advocate for the wildlife to be taken to a sanctuary in order to put an end to the animal cruelty.