On 6 February 2015, at about 8.45pm, a Singapore-registered taxi ferrying a 26-year-old male Malaysian was stopped by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers for routine checks at the Woodlands Checkpoint. During the inspection, the ICA officers uncovered two four-toed hedgehogs and one leopard gecko from the passenger’s belongings. The hedgehogs were hidden inside a shoe box while the gecko was placed in a small plastic container that was kept in the passenger’s white zip pouch.

Caption: The two four-toed hedgehogs were concealed in a covered shoebox, which was placed in an orange plastic bag. (Photo credit: ICA)

Caption: The leopard gecko was placed in a plastic transparent container, which the offender kept in a pouch. (Photo credit: ICA)

2          The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) was immediately alerted and the Malaysian passenger and the exhibits were handed over to AVA for investigations. The driver was released after preliminary investigations concluded that he was not implicated. AVA issued the offender a composition sum of S$1,500 under the Animals and Birds Act and the Wild Animals and Birds Act for the illegal import of animals. The animals were sent to the Singapore Zoo.

3          Travellers are reminded not to bring live animals, birds and insects into Singapore without a proper permit. Demand for such animals would fuel illegal trade. Animals like geckos and hedgehogs are not suitable pets as some may transmit zoonotic diseases to humans and can be a public safety risk if mishandled or if they escape into our dense urban environment. The animals that are non-native to Singapore may also be a threat to our biodiversity if released into the environment.
 

4          The importation of any animals or live birds without an AVA permit is an offence. Offenders can be charged in court and fined a maximum of $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year. The public can refer to AVA’s website for more information on bringing back animals from overseas travels.

5          Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The security checks are critical to our nation’s security.  The ICA will continue to conduct security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands. In view of the potential danger of introducing infectious animal diseases into Singapore, we would like to advise the public against the smuggling of animals, animal products, meat and meat products into Singapore.

ISSUED BY

THE AGRI-FOOD & VETERINARY AUTHORITY AND

THE IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY

25 February 2015