Large animal trap discovered on mainland Singapore

Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia 26 Jul 08;

SINGAPORE : While Singapore is increasingly urbanised, some areas are still being used by poachers to set traps for wild animals.

A volunteer from a non-profit nature organisation recently discovered a trap on mainland Singapore.

The large wild animal trap is able to hold between six and eight wild boars.

The trap was not found on Pulau Ubin - where five illegal animal traps were discovered last year - but on mainland Singapore, in the Lim Chu Kang area.

Ben Lee, a volunteer with Nature Trekker - a non-profit organisation - was surprised to find the trap on the evening of July 24.

He also saw three men loitering in the area with a pickup truck. He believed the truck could be used to carry trapped animals out of the heavily forested area.

Mr Lee said, "They are not really professional. They are trapping it for many purposes - maybe for personal consumption, for food..." He added that wild boar meat could fetch up to S$12 per kilogramme.

In February this year, a man was fined S$50 for setting up an illegal net in the Choa Chu Kang area.

Under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, anyone found guilty of killing, taking or keeping unlicensed wild animals or birds can be fined up to S$1,000. - CNA/ms