Aquarium shop owner fined S$41,000 for possession and sale of illegal wildlife

Channel NewsAsia 18 Mar 15;

SINGAPORE: The owner of Wu Hu Aquarium was fined S$41,000 in court on Wednesday (Mar 18) for the possession and sale of illegal wildlife, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a news release.

On Apr 2, 2014, AVA said its officers conducted a surprise inspection on Wu Hu Aquarium following a tip-off that illegal animals were on sale in the shop. A total of 22 illegal creatures were found, including sturgeons, paddlefish, newts, clawed frogs and turtles.

A ploughshare tortoise and radiated tortoise were also found in styrofoam boxes at the back of the shop. AVA said the tortoises are critically endangered species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), for which international commercial trade is prohibited.

Further investigations showed that all the animals had been imported into Singapore without relevant import permits, AVA said. The animals have been sent to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

AVA added that under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (ESA), CITES permits are required for any import, export and re-export of CITES species, including their parts and products. It is also an offence under the ESA if any person is found in possession of, or selling CITES species which have been illegally imported.

Those found infringing the Act could be jailed for up to two years and could also face a fine of up to S$50,000 per species, but not exceeding an aggregate of S$500,000.

- CNA/ct


Aquarium shop owner fined $41,000 for possession & sale of illegal wildlife
AsiaOne 18 mar 15;

SINGAPORE - An aquarium shop owner was fined $41,000 in court Wednesday (Mar 18) for the possession and sale of illegal wildlife, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a statement to the press.

AVA officers had conducted a surprise inspection on Wu Hu Aquarium on April 2 last year after receiving a tip-off regarding the sale of illegal animals in the shop.

A total of 22 illegal animals were found. These included sturgeons, paddlefish, newts, clawed frogs and turtles.

The officers also uncovered two highly endangered tortoises (ploughshare tortoise and radiated tortoise) that were kept in two separate styrofoam boxes at the back of the shop.

These tortoises are critically endangered as listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), for which international commercial trade is prohibited.

Further investigations showed that all the animals in the shop had been imported into Singapore without the relevant import permits. These animals have been sent to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act (ESA), CITES permits are required for any import, export and re-export of CITES species, including that of their parts and products.

It is also an offence under the ESA if anyone is found in possession of or selling CITES species which have been illegally imported.

The penalties for infringing the Act includes a fine of at least $50,000 per scheduled species and/or a maximum of two years imprisonment.

AVA reminds the public not to import or keep wild animals as pets as demand for such animals would fuel illegal wildlife trade.

Members of the public who have information on illegal wildlife activities can contact AVA at 6805 2992 or via AVA's online feedback form.

All information shared with AVA will be kept strictly confidential.