Man tries to cook ibis after capturing it in public park

A ‘habitual’ animal torturer told police he liked hunting ibises so he could cook and eat them while he was high on meth.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A “habitual” animal torturer told police he liked to hunt protected ibises while he was high on meth so he could cook and eat them.

Tom Quach appeared in Waverley Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to torturing an animal to death, two counts of committing cruelty on an animal and three counts of harming an animal.

Police described Quach in court documents as a “habitual participant in animal cruelty”, noting he had been charged with three different criminal acts against ibises this year alone.

Ibises, known affectionately as ‘bin chickens’, are a protected species in Australia and cannot be harmed.

Tom Quach has pleaded guilty to capturing an ibis, decapitating it and trying to cook it. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Adam Yip

In May, a witness saw him using food to lure one of the birds toward him before he threw fishing wire around its legs and dragged it towards him.

He then snapped the bird’s neck and stuffed it into his backpack before cycling back to his house in Maroubra, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The 60-year-old brazenly told police he had been “hunting bin chickens” that afternoon and told them he had “cut (the ibis) up”.

He showed police the decapitated native bird, which was hanging from his shower in an attempt to dry it before he cooked it.

Quach was arrested in March after a video went viral of him trying to shove another distressed ibis into his backpack after he “forcefully clipped” its wings.

Tom Quach was caught on video trying to abduct an ibis from a public area. Picture: 7 News

He had tied a rope around the bird’s feet and neck, and was trying to force it inside a red trolley bag near Eastwood train station when members of the public intervened.

The bystanders were able to take the bird from him, but they noted it was bleeding and had an injured beak and leg. It managed to fly away a short time later.

When police went to Quach’s house to arrest him, they saw a white ibis hanging inside his apartment near the window.

Quach’s lawyer previously told the court that the Vietnamese national was confused about the protective status of the ibis, as he had previously captured and eaten the bird in Queensland.

On Wednesday, the 60-year-old also pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited drug and three counts of shoplifting on Wednesday.

Quach before he donned the headwear. Picture: NCA NewsWire

He pleaded guilty to capturing an ibis, decapitating it and trying to cook it in his Maroubra home. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The “recidivist offender” stole goods worth just under $700 from three stores across Sydney, the court documents state.

Bizarrely, he wore a tea towel secured to his head with a green band as he waited to learn his fate for the ten offences.

The court heard the 60-year-old had previously been jailed for matters of dishonesty and had continued to offend, predominantly by stealing food items.

His lawyer Hayley Le said Quach had “less moral culpability than others” due to a severe mental health condition and a “very serious drug issue which he spends most of his pension on.”

She argued further time behind bars would only serve to incapacitate her client further.

Quach has been jailed for animal cruelty and shoplifting. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Adam Yip

Magistrate Michael Price disagreed, slamming Quach for his blatant and persistent disregard for the law.

“There obviously appears to be little effort on your part to address this offending which wastes the resources of stores and police,” he said.

“The offences reveal an inability on your behalf to comply with your obligations in a civilised society.”

The court documents reveal Quach has an extensive criminal history with multiple charges which police state “alludes to a continuous pattern of committing criminal offences with no regard whatsoever.”

Amongst the “large raft of matters”, Magistrate Price said the animal cruelty offences against the ibises were the “more worrying” offences.

‘Bin chickens’ are protected under law as a native species. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Quach will remain behind bars for six months. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Adam Yip

“Whatever view you may have of those types of birds, it is a serious matter to deal with those birds in the way that you have,” he reprimanded Quach.

“You just can’t treat animals like that.”

Quach was convicted of both the animal cruelty and shoplifting offences and sentenced to six months behind bars. He will be eligible for release on February 8, 2024.

He was also fined $800 for possessing drugs and harming the ibises.