Puppies seized at Woodlands Checkpoint
Eleven puppies were found in the modified fuel tank of a Malaysia-registered car at Woodlands Checkpoint.
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found the puppies at about 9pm on Thursday, after they directed the car, driven by a lone 43-year-old Malaysian, for further checks upon arrival, according to a joint news release by ICA and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) yesterday.
The driver, puppies and car have been referred to AVA. Investigations are ongoing.
It is illegal to import animals or live birds into Singapore without an AVA permit.
Smuggled animals might introduce exotic diseases such as rabies into the country, said AVA.
The maximum penalty for such animal smuggling is a $10,000 fine and/or imprisonment of up to a year.
The public can refer to AVA’s website or download AVA’s mobile app, SG TravelKaki (available free of charge from iTunes and the Google Play Store), for more information on bringing back animals from overseas.
- THE STRAITS TIMES
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
