AVA confiscates 'tiger teeth' from Waterloo St stall

Raid on woman's makeshift outlet comes after tip-off from Acres
Bryna Sim Straits Times 2 May 12;

THE Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) yesterday raided a makeshift stall which was selling what appeared to be tiger teeth.

This came after a tip-off from the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), a local animal advocacy group.

The AVA confiscated three 'tiger teeth', each about 8cm long. It is unclear if the teeth are real, but the woman who sold them claimed they were.

Acres' executive director Louis Ng yesterday said a member of the public alerted it to the sale of the teeth at a stall outside Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple in Waterloo Street at about 1pm.

Mr Ng went to the venue and saw a woman peddling pieces of jade and five alleged tiger teeth, which were displayed openly on the ground.

Vendors nearby sold items like flowers and incense, and some offered fortune-telling services.

When Mr Ng, posing as an interested buyer, inquired about her wares, the woman told him that the teeth were genuine and from China.

She also said she had landed in Singapore from China on Monday, and wanted to sell these items.

'It was a blatant advertisement of illegal items,' said Mr Ng, who then tipped off the AVA.

But by the time an AVA officer arrived about an hour later at 4pm, two men had purchased two of the five teeth. Mr Ng could not stop them from buying the teeth because Acres does not have enforcement powers.

He said that the AVA officer also posed as a buyer and asked the woman if the teeth were authentic, and if she knew that selling them here was illegal. 'She replied that she only knew the sale of tiger skin was illegal here,' said Mr Ng.

The AVA officer then identified himself, seized the remaining teeth and closed the stall.

Mr Ng said the fact that two of the teeth were sold so quickly shows that enforcement needs to go hand in hand with awareness.

Tiger teeth are popular as lucky charms and are believed to give protection and power to the individual who possesses them. But Mr Ng said there is 'no scientific backing' to these ideas.

The last time someone was caught selling tiger parts here was in 2010. Two separate individuals were then trying to sell pieces of tiger skin and a whole tiger pelt. The pelt was going for $400, and the pieces at $128 each.

The sale of tiger parts is banned worldwide. Tigers are protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which 175 countries have ratified, including Singapore.

Singapore law provides another layer of protection in the form of the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, which states that importing, exporting, re-exporting or possessing any Cites species without a permit can land one a fine of up to $50,000 a species, with a cap of $500,000, and/or two years in jail.

The penalties apply even if the parts are fake.

An AVA spokesman confirmed that the items were seized, and added that the seller is assisting the authority with the investigations. Mr Ng said that those who have bought the alleged tiger teeth can contact Acres' 24-hour hotline on 9783-7782.