On the afternoon of June 18, Mr. Pham Van Tan, Director of Saigon Zoo Company, confirmed to Thanh Nien newspaper that the orangutan seen smoking in the clip is indeed from Saigon Zoo.
According to Mr. Tan, at Saigon Zoo, visitors can enter the sheep enclosure to feed them, but all other animal enclosures have signs in both Vietnamese and English warning visitors not to feed or tease the animals.
“Still, there’s often trash like food wrappers and drinks thrown into the enclosures by visitors. Our staff have a tough time cleaning up after the animals are locked in. The orangutan in the video might be holding a cigarette that a visitor was smoking and then tossed into the enclosure,” Mr. Tan explained.
The zoo director added that the zoo does not have the authority to fine visitors who tease animals. Instead, staff immediately remind visitors if they see such behavior, though sometimes visitors react negatively.
“When building the animal enclosures, we had to consider how to prevent visitors from bothering the animals. We installed nets and added glass layers. Soon, we might install cameras for better monitoring,” said Mr. Pham Van Tan.
In an interview with Tuoi Tre Online, a Saigon Zoo staff member said, “The cigarette could have been thrown down by visitors. People often throw various objects into the enclosures, so the animals pick them up and imitate what they see.”
The staff member also mentioned that due to the large number of visitors, security and staff can’t monitor every animal enclosure all the time.
Earlier, a video showing an orangutan at Saigon Zoo puffing on a cigarette went viral on social media, shocking many viewers.
Within minutes of the clip being posted online, it attracted thousands of views, comments, and shares.
The Bornean orangutan is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to habitat loss and hunting. They can live 35-40 years in the wild and up to 60 years in captivity.
Saigon Zoo was established in 1864, originally named the Botanical Garden. It is one of the world’s oldest zoos and is considered a living museum with thousands of species of plants and animals from Vietnam and around the world being nurtured and cared for.
