Following a zoo expert's claim that roughly 1,700 animals have died and 500 escaped at Vinpearl's newly opened Safari Phu Quoc facility, Vingroup came forward on Sunday to respond to the allegation.
According to Zing, Vingroup has acknowledged the escape of 135 monkeys from its island zoo, which opened in December, however the remaining claims by zoo expert Peter Dickinson are false, the company says.
Last Monday, Dickinson published a blog post titled “Disturbing News out of Phu Quoc Safari” in which the zoo expert claimed he had received information regarding the deaths of over 1,000 birds and approximately 700 mammals at the zoo, including 20 giraffes.
“Deaths are attributed to parasites, disease, underfeeding and horrific accident,” Dickinson writes.
Vingroup, however, puts the zoo's deaths at just over 100 animals, according to the company's press release. The zoo owners also correct Dickinson's claim that 500 monkeys have escaped the facility, saying only 135 managed to get free.
Dickinson alleges he was approached by headhunting companies on more than one occasion regarding a “very senior role” at the zoo, however he is currently employed in Dubai and so turned the offers down. Vingroup also denies this claim.
