Britons fined in Australia for stealing penguin
May 3rd, 2012 - 10:15 am ICT by IANSMelbourne, May 3 (IANS) Two British tourists have been fined $1,000 each by a court for becoming drunk and stealing a penguin from a marine park in Australia.
A third tourist was charged with illegally entering the penguin enclosure but his hearing is scheduled for June.
The three friends — former Royal Marine Rhys Owen Jones, 21, Keri Mules, 20, and James Vasilj, 18 — were arrested after they broke into the Sea World on Queensland’s Gold Coast, after drinking 1.5 liters of vodka.
They swam in a pool with dolphins, set off a fire extinguisher in a pool with sharks, and then entered the cage for marine birds and animals and stole a seven-year-old penguin-elf named Dirk, RIA Novosti reported citing the Australian Associated Press.
Jones and Mules were found guilty of trespassing, stealing and holding a protected animal, the department of justice said.
Police said the men took the penguin to a hotel. After they woke up and found the penguin, they tried to care for it by feeding it bread and placed it in the shower.
“They tried their incompetent best to care for the penguin,” AAP quoted their lawyer as saying.
The penguin was later rescued and returned to Sea World.
- India's first oceanarium to come up in Greater Noida - May 05, 2012
- Dolphin activists oppose Sea World project in Maharashtra - Feb 29, 2012
- Dolphins, marine mammals hunted for human consumption - Jan 25, 2012
- First in South Asia, a dolphin show in Pakistan - Aug 13, 2012
- Wolves kill zoo keeper at Swedish zoo - Jun 18, 2012
- Dolphins don't like to swim with humans: Study - Mar 18, 2010
- Penguins killed by foxes in London Zoo - Oct 16, 2010
- Dolphins Trained By US Navy To Fight Terrorism - May 20, 2010
- No dead dolphins found in Black Sea: Russia - May 18, 2011
- Foxes Kill Penguins at London Zoo - Oct 17, 2010
- Thematic Sea World to come up in Sindhudurg - Oct 18, 2011
- Dolphins being used by Navy to fight terrorism - May 20, 2010
- Dolphins Team Up With The US Navy For Terror Exercise - May 20, 2010
- Dolphins have amazing self-healing abilities - Jul 21, 2011
- Match-making male dolphins more successful in mating - Oct 27, 2011
Tags: 5 liters, australian associated press, british tourists, britons, department of justice, fire extinguisher, gold coast, keri, marine birds, marine park, mules, owen jones, penguin, rhys owen, ria novosti, sea world, sharks, three friends, vasilj, vodka