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Teen who backflipped with rhinos at Singapore Zoo charged with trespass
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Singaporean teen Ralph Wee Yi Kai, 19, is accused of trespassing into the rhinoceros enclosure at the Singapore Zoo to create content for his TikTok account. (TikTok/Courtesy of Ralph Wee Yi Ka's TikTok account)
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teenager who was shown in a TikTok video doing a backflip inside a white rhinoceros enclosure at the Singapore Zoo was charged in a district court on Monday.
Ralph Wee Yi Kai, 19, is accused of trespassing into the rhinoceros enclosure at around 2:40 p.m. on December 17, 2020. The police said they were alerted to the case by the Wildlife Reserves Singapore, according to The Straits Times.
The Singaporean teen is also accused of two other counts of mischief. He allegedly committed an act of vandalism on Oct. 9 last year by hitting an information panel at a bus stop along Sixth Avenue off Bukit Timah Road, causing S$900 (US$666.18) in damage to public property.
He also allegedly hit the side mirrors of a Mercedes Benz and a BMW at Sixth Crescent, Bukit Timah, causing damage worth nearly S$2,800 (US$2,073) and more than S$1,600 ($1,184) respectively.
"Preliminary investigations revealed that the man's companion, an 18-year-old woman, allegedly filmed him before the man posted the video on his TikTok account, using the moniker @ralphwee_.” the Singapore police said on July 11, about half a year after the alleged crime. They gave a stern warning to the woman for abetting criminal trespass.
The police also warned that they would "take a strong stance against persons who blatantly disregard rules of public attractions and commit selfish acts that may endanger their lives," The Straits Times reported.
The widely circulated video showed the teenager hopping over the fence into the rhino enclosure and doing a backflip before quickly leaving. The original video from his TikTok account, which has more than 34,000 followers, has since been deleted or made private.
In an Instagram story last year, the Wildlife Reserves Singapore said it was a “reckless and mindless act.”
“It is socially irresponsible, extremely dangerous and simply disrespectful to wildlife and our animals,” it said, according to Channel News Asia.
Wee’s case has been adjourned to Aug. 16 with a bail of S$15,000. If convicted of criminal trespass, he can be jailed for up to three months and fined up to S$1,500 (USD$1,110). For vandalism, he can be imprisoned for up to three years and fined up to S$2,000 (USD$1,480). He could also receive between three and eight strokes of the cane.
As for the counts of mischief, each one carries a penalty of up to a year in prison and a fine.
