NEWS
ACRES IN THE NEWS
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The Straits Times
2 February 2006
Seizures of illegal wildlife at new low
Heavier fines and more checks are deterring would-be smugglers, says AVA
By Radha Basu
There was the occasional discovery of exotic whale ice-cream, cobra wine and contraband coral – but last year the seizure of illegal plants and animals here fell to a new low.
Falls were recorded across various categories of illegal products. For example, 7,500 pieces of snake and lizard skin were seized last year, a significant dip from the 40,000 seized in 2004.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) attributes the fall to higher fines and more checks for such products.
In a high-profile case in September last year, a smuggler was fined $56,000 for bringing in 14 species of corals and giant clams from Indonesia.
This was the heaviest penalty meted out here for a single case.
And with a new wildlife law increasing penalties dramatically, the numbers may fall even further in future, says the AVA.
Under the new law passed last month, a smuggler can be fined up to $50,000 for every individual animal or plant smuggled.
However, overall fines cannot exceed $500,000 in a single case.
Previously, a smuggler would be fined up to $5,000 for every type of animal or species smuggled.
By increasing penalties, the new law plugs a significant loophole. Earlier, fines were based on the number of varieties a smuggler brought in.
So he could smuggle, say, thousands of pieces of python skin and still get away with a small fine because the loot involved only one type of animal or species.
The law also bans trading in seriously endangered species like elephants, tigers and rhinoceroses.
Some species that are not in immediate danger of extinction, like crocodiles, pythons and some tortoises, can be traded with special permits issued by AVA.
These permits are used by zoo officials, for instance.
The new law and higher penalties were a necessary step, said the head of AVA's wildlife regulatory branch, Ms Lye Fong Keng.
The smuggling of wildlife is very lucrative, said Ms Lye, and so people are tempted to try their luck. For instance, in 2002, the AVA intercepted a consignment containing six tonnes of ivory, with a black-market value of US$10 million (S$16 million).
More frequent checks by the AVA – including joint exercise with customs, airport, police and coast guard authorities – could also have proven a deterrent, said Ms Lye.
Thanks largely to these stringent checks, last year the AVA also had a fair share of spectacular hauls.
It caught a driver with 563kg of reticulated python skin stashed among electronic parts in a truck from across the Causeway.
Four men were caught by Changi customs trying to smuggle in 11 bottles of Vietnamese wine, each of which contained a pickled cobra.
And a Japanese restaurant in Upper Thomson Road was found selling ice cream with chunks of whale meat.
The AVA confiscated 145 live animals – including 119 tortoises – last year, compared to 161 animals in 2004.
A Singapore-based animal rights group told The Straits Times that the stiffer penalties could frighten off would-be smugglers.
“It is very difficult to catch illegal consignments as they are usually packed by professionals who have been doing this for a long time.” Said Mr Louis Ng, president of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, a wildlife non-governmental organisation.
“Hopefully, higher fines will prove to be a more effective deterrent.”
In Hong Kong and China, the penalties are even more severe.
In Hong Kong, a smuggler can be fined a maximum of HK$5 million (S$1.05 million) for trading in highly endangered species. In mainland China, the death penalty may be meted out for poaching and smuggling of giant pandas, which are also highly endangered.
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Stiffer fines mean fewer attempts
Under the new law passed last month, a smuggler can be fined up to $50,000 for every individual animal or plant smuggled. Previously, he would be fined up to $5,000 for each type of animal or species.
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