A 36-year-old man from Malaysia was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for illegally importing 27 pet animals in Singapore, including 26 puppies and a cat.
He was jailed for causing the animals “unnecessary suffering” in his smuggling attempt that saw 1 puppy being found dead on arrival and another 18 later dying from “canine parvovirus”, which is a disease found in young dogs that are unvaccinated and highly contagious.
The incident took place on 18 October 2022 and the man, who was driving a Malaysia-registered lorry into Singapore via the Tuas Checkpoint, was stopped by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for checks.
The ICA officers then found the pets hidden in several compartments of the lorry during the inspection.
The animals were found hidden in several places that included the overhead compartment of the lorry, and they were secured inside plastic containers and inside laundry bags.
One of the puppies was also found dead inside the lorry.
18 other puppies later died from the canine parvovirus disease, and NParks said in a press release that had the puppies gone into homes, the disease might have spread to other dogs in the community.
NParks also added that between October 2022 to March this year, they detected about 19 cases of pet animals and wildlife smuggling which includes a shipment of 337 birds that were kept inside plastic boxes and hidden inside a lorry.
91 of the birds later died within 5 days of the shipment being seized, likely due to stress.
Another case saw 11 puppies and a kitten being smuggled into Singapore, with the baby animals being sedated and hidden.
NParks said that they have zero tolerance for the illegal trade of wildlife and they are working with their partner agencies to conduct security checks at orders.
Persons found guilty of importing any animals without a license face a jail term of up to 12 months and/or a fine of up to $10,000 under the Animals and Birds Act.
Images source: NParks