Woman gets jail, fine for illegally keeping animals in captivity for sale in first such case
In a separate case, a 33-year-old man was given the highest sentence yet for a similar offence.
by Chelsea Ong · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: A 28-year-old woman was sentenced to jail and fined in the first such case for keeping animals in captivity for sale at unlicensed premises.
Ng Siew Teng, and her 34-year-old husband Callurn Lim, were arrested on Dec 27, 2023, for being involved in a scheme to illegally import puppies from Malaysia for sale in Singapore.
During a random inspection at Woodlands Checkpoint, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found five smuggled two-month-old Pomeranian puppies concealed in the boot of the couple’s friend’s vehicle, the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a media release on Tuesday (Sep 15).
The friend, 23-year-old Bryan Peh, was found to have been abetted by the couple to smuggle puppies from Malaysia for sale in Singapore.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Two of the puppies were in a pet carrier, which was placed within a plastic storage container that contained the other three puppies.
The puppies had been transported in cramped and poorly ventilated conditions that subjected them to unnecessary suffering, NParks said.
All five puppies also tested positive for Canine Parvovirus, a highly contagious disease that can cause severe illness and death in dogs.
After investigations, NParks found the couple had kept illicitly imported puppies at their residence and advertised them on Instagram.
The couple held viewings of the puppies with prospective customers at the void deck.
Between October and December 2023, they sold 21 puppies and profited about S$21,000 (US$16,500).
Ng and Lim pleaded guilty to five charges under the Animals and Birds Act.
Ng was sentenced to 19 weeks and three days’ jail and fined S$5,000 on Aug 5. This includes a sentence of three days’ jail and the maximum fine of S$5,000 for keeping animals in captivity for sale at unlicensed premises.
Lim received the same sentence on Sep 11.
HIGHEST SENTENCE FOR SIMILAR OFFENCE
In a separate case, a 33-year-old man on Aug 17 received two weeks' jail - the highest sentence yet - for keeping animals in captivity for sale at unlicensed premises.
Sundra Pandian, who acted as a runner for a transnational syndicate that smuggled animals from Thailand through Malaysia into Singapore, had kept 13 smuggled animals at his residence.
He would bring the smuggled animals to his premises for sale after they entered Singapore and kept them at his residence until buyers were found.
The case also involved Chow Chee Hoe, 25, who used several premises - including Pandian’s residence - as a pet shop to sell smuggled dogs.
He had facilitated the sale of the smuggled animals by collecting the animals from Pandian and selling them to prospective buyers in Singapore.
Following a tip-off from a member of the public, officers from the Animal and Veterinary Service arrested Chow for attempting to sell two smuggled dogs.
NParks seized 14 animals from Pandian’s residence after conducting an inspection. The animals comprised 12 dogs of various breeds, including Pandian’s pet Rottweiler, as well as two British Shorthair cats.
The animals were housed in cages and pet carriers stacked up to three levels high within the service yard for about two to three weeks at a time.
They were only let out for short periods for exercise or to clean the cages, NParks said.
Several animals were confined in conditions that restricted their movement and subjected them to unnecessary suffering, it added.
One dog tested positive for Canine Parvovirus, while some of the animals required veterinary treatment after showing signs of ill health.
Pandian pleaded guilty to nine charges under the Animals and Birds Act and was sentenced to 24 weeks’ jail. This includes a sentence of two weeks’ jail for keeping animals in captivity for sale at unlicensed premises.
Chow pleaded guilty to one charge under the Animals and Birds Rules and was fined S$4,000 on Sep 1.
CURB DEMAND FOR SMUGGLED ANIMALS
NParks strongly encouraged prospective pet owners to adopt their pets from animal groups or to purchase their pets from licensed pet shops.
They should not purchase pets from unlicensed sellers operating on social media or online platforms as the health status of these animals may be unknown, NParks said.
The animals may also not have been bred in accordance with the animal health and care standards imposed by NParks on licensed breeders and pet shops, it added.
The health of smuggled animals are also compromised since they are often kept and transported in cramped and poorly ventilated conditions, NParks said.
In some cases, the animals are heavily sedated to minimise noise and movement to avoid detection by the authorities – which may cause poor health, injury and even death, it added.
Smuggled animals may also carry infectious and contagious diseases which can threaten native wildlife, pets and humans.
“Pet owners, businesses and the public all have a shared responsibility to safeguard animal health and welfare, by not contributing to the demand for illegally imported animals,” NParks said.
“Buyers who abet the illicit import of their pets into Singapore may be prosecuted.”
NParks highlighted Singapore’s zero-tolerance stance on the illegal trade and import of animals.
“NParks works closely with partner agencies to cross-share information to aid in the detection of cases, and carry out regular operations to strengthen surveillance and deterrence against animal smuggling at our checkpoints,” it said.
“NParks also regularly monitors physical and online marketplaces, and takes appropriate enforcement action against perpetrators.”
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app