Man jailed for smuggling 190 endangered turtles

SINGAPORE — A 42-year-old Indian national was sentenced to 19 months jail total for animal cruelty and the smuggling of 190 endangered turtles through Singapore, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in a statement today (Jan 23).

The man had attempted to smuggle three luggage bags stuffed with the live turtles at Changi Airport on Jan 7. He was detained by Certis CISCO aviation security officers after 190 Black Pond turtles were found in the bags.

The turtles — which are critically endangered — are estimated to be worth almost S$100,000, and are believed to be in high demand in the exotic pet trade.

When found, the turtles were severely dehydrated and in “very poor condition”, the AVA said. The luggages had been lined with diapers and cloth by the culprit to absorb their waste.

The turtles were subsequently sent to Wildlife Reserves Singapore to be monitored. However, all 190 turtles died, or had to be put down due to welfare considerations, the AVA said.

Investigations revealed that the accused had been approached by a friend to deliver the turtles to Indonesia, which would be passed to an unknown man. The bags had arrived on a flight from Bangladesh’s Dhaka International Airport in transit to Surabaya via Singapore.

“The Singapore Government has zero tolerance on the use of Singapore as a conduit to smuggle endangered species and their parts and products,” said the AVA. “We will not hesitate to take harsh enforcement actions against any person or company that smuggles wildlife through Singapore.”