The endangered monkey was rescued from a car workshop in Defu Lane in May after a tip-off from ACRES.
Channel NewsAsia 24 Aug 15;
SINGAPORE: A rare pig-tailed macaque found chained in a cage in a car workshop this year been sent to a new home in Malaysia.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) rescued the monkey from the workshop in Defu Lane on May 6, following a tip-off from the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES). Its owner claimed the animal was abandoned there and proceeded to keep it as a pet illegally. He was later fined S$500.
In a joint news release on Monday (Aug 24), AVA, ACRES and Wildlife Reserves Singapore said they worked with Malaysian wildlife authorities to rehome the macaque.
On Sunday, it was transported from the Singapore Zoo to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN Negeri Johor), where it is being rehabilitated and quarantined. Authorities will assess its suitability to be released back into its natural habitat.
All macaques are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement to help prevent extinction of wildlife species.
AVA stated: “Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, possession of a CITES animal which has been imported without a permit is an offence. It is also a violation of the Wild Animal & Birds Act to keep a wild animal without a licence from AVA."
Offenders could be fined up to S$50,000 per species and be jailed for up to two years. They could also be fined up to S$1,000 per wild animal or bird.
- CNA/dl
Endangered pig-tailed macaque rehomed in Malaysia after rescue from Singapore car workshop
Today Online 14 Aug 15;
SINGAPORE — An endangered pig-tailed macaque rescued from a car workshop in Singapore has been rehomed in Malaysia.
The macaque was found chained in a cage at a Defu Lane car workshop on May 6 by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), following a tip-off from the Animals Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES).
It was then sent to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) for care and custody. The owner of the workshop, who had kept the macaque as a pet after it was found abandoned at his workshop, was fined S$500 by AVA for keeping the macaque.
Yesterday (Aug 23), the macaque was transported from the Singapore Zoo to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in Malaysia. It is currently being rehabilitated and quarantined at a Wildlife Rescue Centre, following which the authorities will assess its suitability to be released back into the wild, said ACRES, AVA and WRS in a joint statement today.
“AVA would like to remind the public not to import or keep wild animals, as doing so would perpetuate the exploitation of wild animals and fuel the growth of the illegal wildlife trade,” said the joint statement.
Ms Lye Fong Keng, Deputy Director, Quarantine & Inspection Group (Wildlife Section), AVA, said that wild animals are not suitable as pets because they may transmit zoonotic diseases to humans and pose a public safety risk if they escape into the Republic’s dense environment.
“Wild animals that are nonnative to Singapore may also pose a threat to our biodiversity by upsetting the ecological balance of nature,” said Ms Lye.
All macaques are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is an international agreement to ensure that trade does not threaten wildlife species with extinction. The import and export of the pig-tailed macaque is regulated by CITES permits.
Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, possession of a CITES animal which has been imported without a permit is an offence. The offender may be fined up to S$50,000 per scheduled species (not exceeding an aggregate of S$500,000) and/or jailed up to two years.
It is also a violation of the Wild Animal & Birds Act to keep a wild animal without a licence from AVA. Offenders may be fined up to S$1,000 per wild animal or bird. The illegally acquired animals would be confiscated and forfeited by AVA.
