Very soon, we will be bidding farewell to the year of the Tiger and ushering in the year of the Rabbit.  For those who are familiar with the Chinese folklores, you would probably have heard of the story of how the order of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac calendar was decided.  Legend has it that the Jade Emperor wanted to select 12 animals that would help guard and protect the year. Hearing this, all animals rushed to heed the call, eager to be selected. Spoilt for choices, the Jade Emperor decided to have a competition for all the animals to pit themselves against one another and see who had the best abilities. As the Lunar New Year approaches, animals are making their appearances one after another, this time at the Woodlands Checkpoint. Is it time for another competition? Read on to find out who were the eventual winners…

 
Puppies took the first round…

 

2.         On 28 January 2011, officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) uncovered 16 puppies hidden within the speaker compartment of a Malaysian-registered car at the Woodlands Checkpoint.  The puppies, comprising three Shih-Tzus, seven red poodles, two pugs and four bull dogs, were found when officers conducting checks heard some noise coming from the concealed speaker compartment in the car boot. The 35-year old Chinese driver is currently under investigation by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).  

     
                   "woof..woof! Puppies hidden in speaker compartment’’

Bunnies leapt  into the picture next…

 

3.         On 31 January 2011 at 4.30pm, ICA officers at the Woodlands Checkpoint directed a Malaysia-registered taxi to the arrival inspection area for routine checks. A male Singaporean passenger was visibly nervous and started to fidget when the officers asked him to open up the two bags that he was carrying for inspection.  He unzipped the first bag with shivering hands and took out some of the clothes from within. The officers did not find any contraband items in the bag but his nervous behaviour did not escape the eagle-eyed officers.      

 
4.         When asked to open the second bag for inspection, he began to hesitate.  The officer put her hand into the innocuous looking bag and to her surprise, felt something warm and furry brushed against her hand. Sensing something amiss, the officer gently opened up the bag and saw seven furry rabbits scurrying in it. The Chinese man was immediately placed under arrest.    

     
                Furry bunnies “hopping” away from the smuggler

5.         During preliminary investigation, the 29-year-old male Singaporean revealed that he had purchased the seven rabbits from a pet shop in Malaysia for RM128. He has been referred to the AVA for investigations. 

The feathered ones competed for a place too…

 

6.         As the clock ticked away, the birds were the last to make their appearance at the Woodlands Checkpoint. On 1 February 2011 at about 2am, a Malaysian registered bus pulled into the checkpoint for arrival clearance and was directed for scanning.  The observant ICA officers operating the backscatter noticed anomalies in the scanned images of the bus. The officers immediately launched a physical inspection of the bus and found two boxes, perforated with holes, at the luggage compartment.

 

7.         The two boxes were found to contain 15 “red-whiskered bulbul’’ birds.  The 45-year-old male Malaysian driver must have thought that he could evade detection from the watchful ICA officers by placing the birds behind a huge styrofoam box.  He was also referred to AVA for investigations. 

 
                  
                      15 ‘roosters’ that cannot fly                  A red-bulbul whisker

                 source: (www.google.com)

And the winner is…

 

8.         Within a week, the vigilant checkpoint officers have uncovered three cases of animal smuggling.  The ICA and AVA would like to remind travellers against bringing live animals, birds and insects without a proper permit. The importation of any animals or live birds without an AVA permit is a violation of the Animals and Birds Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

 

9.         Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's security. The enhanced security checks are critical to our nation’s security.  We have tightened our 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.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY

1 FEBRUARY 2011