NEWS
ACRES IN THE NEWS
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37 exotic animals found in two flats
By Khushwant Singh
The four-room flat in Serangoon Avenue 1 looks like any other HDB unit, but inside it had a veritable zoo of 11 exotic wild animals.
Officers from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) raided the flat on Monday and found endangered species such as a carpet python, a rainbow boa, a green tree python and a tarantula.
The flat-owner, a fruit-stall assistant, 30, also kept a bearded dragon, a leopard gecko and scorpions.
AVA said yesterday that it had acted on a tip-off from the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).
Meanwhile on Tuesday, someone tipped off AVA about a chef, 29, keeping and trading in exotic pets in a four-room Ang Mo Kio flat.
AVA found 26 animals including the endangered slow loris, green iguanas, chameleons, ball pythons and star tortoises.
The chef also had snapping turtles, bearded dragons and a frill-necked lizard.
The animals are now being kept at the Singapore Zoological Gardens.
If the animal is an endangered species, the offender can be fined up to $5,000 and jailed for a year.
Importing, trading or keeping other wild animals attract a fine of up to $1,000.
Acres president and executive director Louis Ng told Streats: "Part of the reason for keeping exotic animals as pets is to boast about it... Acres will continue to provide cash rewards for tip-offs."
Those with information on illegal pets can call the AVA at 6227-0670 or the Acres' 24-hour hotline hotline at 9783-7782.
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