Following the economic devastation caused by Covid-19, Phuket Zoo will close

After building enclosures for them, the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand is currently taking care of 11 tigers that were previously housed in the zoo. The annual funding for the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to care for animals used to be 80 million baht, but this year, because of a government decrease, it was drastically reduced to 30 million baht.


According to the owner, the zoo is closing and all of its animals have been relocated. Since 1996, Phuket Zoo has been open for business. In 2020, we began to shut down. Due to a lack of incoming tourist revenue, we were unable to cover the costs.

Black bears from the Phuket Zoo have also been adopted by WFFT, but the organization needs cash to construct the bears’ habitats. Approximately 14,000 euros, or about 520,000 baht, will be spent on each enclosure. Suriya refused to discuss the past when asked what he wanted Phuket Zoo to be recognized for. Let’s just adapt to the circumstances at hand, he remarked.


Who knows what the future of Thailand’s animals holds with Thailand’s wildlife department suffering and zoos and animal rescue charities lacking funding.

The destruction of the island province’s tourism industry by Covid-19 regulations has claimed its newest victim: Phuket Zoo. This information follows a significant budget cut to Thailand’s wildlife department this year. Suriya Tanthaweewong, the 42-year-old owner and manager of the zoo, told The Phuket News this week that the zoo began to close when the pandemic began in 2020, despite the fact that it has delighted animal lovers for more than 20 years.