Man to be charged for criminal trespass after TikTok stunt at Singapore Zoo
Screengrabs of a TikTok video showing a man doing a backflip in the Singapore Zoo's white rhino enclosure.
SINGAPORE: A man will be charged on Monday (Jun 12) with criminal trespass into an enclosure at the Singapore Zoo.
On Sunday, the police said that it was informed by the Singapore Zoo on Dec 17 last year that a man had allegedly trespassed into an enclosure and performed a backflip stunt.
A video of the incident shows a man in a face mask in the white rhino enclosure, with two of the animals in the background. He performs a backflip before scrambling to scale the fence and make his way out of the enclosure.
READ: Police investigating case of man trespassing into Singapore Zoo's rhino enclosure
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_”.
Police identified the duo the same evening of the report.
Following investigations and consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police issued a stern warning to the woman on Jul 8 for abetting criminal trespass.
The 19-year-old man will be charged on Monday with criminal trespass. If found guilty, he can be jailed for up to three months, fined S$1,500 or both.
He also faces charges of vandalism and mischief that are not related to this case.
As of Sunday, the man's TikTok account is still live under the username“@rhino_ralph” and is linked to his Instagram account with his previous moniker.
The police said that it takes a strong stance against those who blatantly disregard the rules of public attractions and commit selfish acts that may endanger their lives.
