We’ve had a few different crimes, mostly in the USA. The last one, The Most Dangerous Necklace, was even in my own state of Indiana. I wanted to go out of the country and it’s hard to get too much further away than Queensland, Australia.
If you think you’ve had weird nights out, think again. Because the story of Rhys Owen Jones and Keri Mules — the duo who inadvertently became international penguin kidnappers.
Vodka + Beach Party = A Disaster Waiting to Happen
It all started on the sunny shores of Queensland’s Gold Coast, where Jones (a former Royal Marine) and Mules (a bricklayer) were enjoying a working holiday and very much enjoying about 1.5 liters (1.6 quarts) of the local vodka at a beach party.
Instead of heading home and passing out sensibly as most people would, they broke into the Sea World theme park.
Mayhem, Mischief, and Marine Life
Once inside Sea World, Rhys and Keri walked around politely and didn’t touch anything they weren’t supposed to . They just decided to take a swim with the dolphins, sprayed a fire extinguisher inside the shark enclosure, and filmed much of it on their phones.
Somewhere between the dip with the dolphins and the fire extinguisher tomfoolery, they found themselves intrigued by a seven-year-old fairy penguin named Dirk – and made the brilliant decision to bring poor Dirk back home with them.
Wake Up with a Penguin
Most of us have been there, after a night of drinking, you wake up smelling like alcohol and sadness, and maybe the faint scent of throw up lingering. You roll out of bed and there it is. A live penguin. In your apartment.
Witnesses to the chaos (later captured on video) reportedly heard one of them say something like, “Can’t believe… penguin in our apartment, man… we stole a penguin.“
To their credit, Jones and Mules tried to take care of Dirk. They gave him bread and put him in the shower to keep him comfortable. But they soon realized they were out of their depth.
Court and Consequences
Eventually, in a panic, they released Dirk into a nearby canal. Luckily, locals happened to spot the little bird and called the authorities. Dirk was rescued, unharmed, and returned to Sea World, where his girlfriend Peaches was waiting.
After bragging about their adventures on Facebook, Jones and Mules were arrested by the cops. The boys ended up before Southport Magistrates’ Court in Brisbane.
The magistrate fined each of them around £600 (around $1,000) and gave them this little nugget of wisdom: “You could have found yourselves in a morgue if you’d gone into the wrong enclosure. Perhaps next time you are at a party you will consider drinking a little less vodka.“
Wise words for us all.
Reactions
This kind of reminds me of our ill-advised fast food gator thrower, although he was completely sober when he did his stunt. I don’t know if this makes it better or worse. Regardless, here are some of the funnier reactions to this particular incident.
The confidence of drunk people is unmatched. You can’t assemble IKEA furniture sober but suddenly you’re qualified to co-parent a penguin.
Somewhere there’s a SeaWorld employee reading this like, “They did WHAT?”
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the mom on the other end of that call already knows. I can imagine a pause. A deep sigh. The “what did you DO?” energy is immaculate.
You know how alcohol turns you into a temporary wildlife rehabilitation center with no training? Right? RIGHT?
Sources
1.) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-17919847
3.) https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-tourists-who-stole-penguin-2030125