MEERKATTITUDE
Who is Kyle Thomas and what happened to his capybara? How teen TikTok star came to build a zoo
Kyle's mum was charged with a crime while trying to help her son expand his menagerie
KYLE Thomas is approaching two billion likes on TikTok and has amassed over 35million followers by creating content about exotic animals.
A new BBC documentary explores the ups and downs of his efforts to build a zoo, including his mum Zena's conviction.
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Who is Kyle Thomas?
Born on September 19, 2004, Kyle Thomas is originally from Kent, but is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Despite his young age, Kyle has tens of millions of online followers, particularly on TikTok.
You can follow him via the handle @kylethomas.
He often shares what he's been getting up to on his Instagram page, including showing off his pet meerkat Mylo.
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In July 2022, Kyle released his first graphic novel, Guardian Of The Realm.
It tells the story of how Kyle and Mylo find themselves drawn into an extraordinary and magical alternate world filled with strange and wonderful wild creatures.
The synopsis states that it's up to Kyle and Mylo to save the world after a dark creature finds its way through an open portal into the real world and wreaks havoc.
Rise to fame and early career
Kyle became famous by posting about a wide range of content on TikTok, attracting a huge amount of followers.
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These videos ranged from comedy clips and food reviews to dance videos and lip syncs — often getting millions of views for each post.
He used Instagram to share photos of his life, including the places he's visited all around the globe.
His following skyrocketed when he started posting content focusing on exotic animals and his own private "zoo".
Homemade slime made me a TikTok star at 12 - but then I got death threats & my mum was arrested after stupid mistake
But his mother Zena Foord was convicted of smuggling an unlicensed capybara from Cambridgeshire into Northern Ireland in August 2023.
The capybara crime
Kyle's mum contacted a County Antrim pet shop owner named Michael Dickinson about getting one of the animals for her son.
Dickinson arranged for one of his associates, James Hammond, to pick up a capybara and transport it from Cambridgeshire, where they can be kept as pets legally, to Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland capybaras are listed as dangerous animals and you need a licence to own the creatures.
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Kyle named the capybara Queen Elizabeth and it became a massive hit on TikTok after he dressed it up in jewellery, tiaras and frocks.
Shortly after being taken into their family home in Lisburn, the capybara unfortunately died.
Legal fallout
Ms Foord received a two-year conditional discharge from Lisburn Magistrate's Court in June 2023 for keeping a capybara without a licence between the dates of October 6 and 24, 2022.
James Hammond and Michael Dickinson were also convicted on charges related to smuggling the animal into Northern Ireland.
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Outcry
Investigations and concerns about animal welfare were triggered following the death of the capybara and other animals in Kyle's care.
The TikToker’s controversial zoo for exotic animals was reportedly closed and the land was subsequently sold, according to his mother.
Ms Foord told Belfast Live: "He has done absolutely nothing wrong.
“I’ve had to move every single f****** animal from here because people were killing them and poisoning them."
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Debates about the ethics of keeping exotic pets and the influence of social media on the exotic animal trade were sparked by the incident.
It also raised questions about influencers' responsibilities and the regulation of exotic animals being kept as pets.
Kyle's BBC docs
The Exotic Pet Crisis: Truth Behind The TikTok Stars was the first documentary featuring Kyle and his mum.
It was originally broadcast on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on September 25, 2023.
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Presented by Mobeen Azhar, the show explores the controversial world of exotic pet ownership, as well as its promotion on social media platforms.
The second doc starring the TikToker and his mum is called We Built A Zoo.
It follows Kyle’s journey as he attempts to build a zoo for his exotic animals and addresses his controversial past — including posts about his animals that drew criticism from animal rights activists.
The programme documents the challenges he faced in finding suitable homes for the animals following his previous zoo’s closure, and his collaboration with County Tyrone builder Phil Hughes to transform a modest petting farm into a world-class wildlife park for Kyle's animals and other unwanted exotic pets.
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It also follows the social media star as he travels to South Africa to learn how to take better care of his meerkats.
The doc was first shown on BBC Three and BBC Northern Ireland on August 2, 2024.
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