Songkhla senior zoo official carries out murder-suicide after deers go missing

A senior zoo official in Songkhla has reportedly shot himself in his home in an apparent murder-suicide after being investigated over 2 missing rare albino barking deers. Phuvadol Suwanna, chief of the conservation and research section of the state-run zoo, allegedly murdered his boss, Suriya Senpong, the Director of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand, while he was investigating the incident.

Phuvadol was part of a group of 4 officials being investigated over the deers’ disappearance from the zoo in February and September of this year, with officials saying the deer may have been sold to a wildlife trafficking gang. According to the ZPOT director, the zoo had 3 of those kind of deer which were donated by HM Queen Sirikit. 1 deer died a while back, and then the last 2 went missing.

The zoo’s director was transferred to an inactive post while officials were investigating the incident. As for the white barking deer, 1 official says such an animal would not fetch a high enough price for officials to risk the consequences of selling them to wildlife traffickers.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World