A Vietnamese immigrant who was once jailed for animal cruelty is back behind bars after allegedly catching two native Australian birds with fishing line and putting them in a suitcase.
Tom Quach, 61, served six months in jail after capturing an ibis in a Sydney park, decapitating it, hanging it in his shower and attempting to cook it. He claimed at the time that he thought he was allowed to kill and eat the bird since he had done so while living in Queensland.
Quach faced Parramatta Local Court on Sunday after being charged with commit an act of cruelty upon an animal and harm or attempt to harm a protected animal, but did not apply for bail and will appear in court again later this month, The Daily Telegraph reported.
NSW Police said they were called to Anzac Parade, Malabar, at about 5.30pm on Saturday, after reports a man had allegedly used fishing line to catch two long billed corellas before putting them inside a suitcase.
Police then attended Quach’s home where they found two injured birds in an animal carrier. He was then arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station, where he was charged, with police alleging the birds’ injuries were caused by Quach shaking the suitcase.
“Both birds were taken to a Sydney vet in stable conditions where they are undergoing treatment,” police said.
Court documents from Quach’s previous animal cruelty case stated that he told police that he enjoyed hurting ibises while high on meth, before cooking and eating them.
During a different incident he was caught trying to shove an Australian white ibis, a protected species, into a shopping bag outside Eastwood train station.
On top of his six month jail sentence for 10 animal cruelty charges in 2023, Quach was fined $800 – $200 each for three animal cruelty charges and $200 for shoplifting.
Header image: Tom Quach attempting to capture an ibis at Eastwood train station in March, 2023
