The minister of natural resources and environment has warned a YouTuber against creating a wrong mindset among viewers for catching and keeping 15 hermit crabs.
He said legal action was possible if the content creator caught the animals in a national park.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said he must blame the YouTuber and urge the latter to return the caught hermit crabs to the wild or hand the animals to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources as soon as possible. The minister also demanded the YouTuber correct the wrong attitude towards wild animals created with his online content.
MrVarawut also said that sponsors should stop supporting any YouTube channels that presented the content that was irresponsible to society and harmful to natural resources.
Hermit crabs are not included in the list of protected animals under the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act. Therefore, they are not among protected animals except those in national parks.
If hermit crabs were caught in a national park, the act would be considered as violating the National Parks Act and be liable to a jail term of up to five years and/or a fine of up to 500,000 baht, the minister said. (TNA)
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