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S$6,600 fine for man who wanted to keep 13 endangered poison dart frogs as pets

SINGAPORE — A 32-year-old man who wanted to keep 13 endangered poison dart frogs as pets fell foul of the law, after his acquaintance was caught trying to bring them into Singapore from Malaysia.

One of the poison dart frogs Jonathan Wong Kai Kit wanted to keep as a pet.

One of the poison dart frogs Jonathan Wong Kai Kit wanted to keep as a pet.

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SINGAPORE — A 32-year-old man who wanted to keep 13 endangered poison dart frogs as pets fell foul of the law, after his acquaintance was caught trying to bring them into Singapore from Malaysia.

Jonathan Wong Kai Kit was ordered to pay a fine of S$6,600 on Wednesday (April 1).

The amphibians are so named because they contain significant levels of toxins that can deter other animals from eating them. A National Geographic article stated that the various types of poison dart frogs are “some of the most toxic animals in the world”.

Wong had pleaded guilty to one charge of abetting Mitchell Edberg Li Heyi to import six Anthony’s poison arrow frogs into Singapore.

Two other charges, relating to three green-and-black poison dart frogs and another four dyeing poison dart frogs, were taken into consideration for sentencing.

For his offence under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, he could have been fined up to S$50,000 for each species, jailed for up to two years, or both.

A district judge noted that while Wong was not part of any wildlife syndicate, he admitted that he had imported poisonous and endangered creatures that were not native to Singapore.

The court heard that Li, a Singaporean, was nabbed at Woodlands Checkpoint in the wee hours of Nov 10 last year. He had 22 animals in his car, including:

  • 18 poison dart frogs of three different species

  • An Argentine tegu, a type of small lizard

  • Two leopard geckos

  • A sugar glider, a small marsupial native to Australia

The latter two are not endangered species, but licences are required to legally import them into Singapore, under the Animals and Birds Act.

Li’s case is still pending before the courts. His lawyer said on Wednesday that he intends to plead guilty on April 30.

Court documents stated that he allegedly operated an animal-related business called Exotics Hub. No other details were given about this.

The 31-year-old was accused of causing unnecessary suffering to the animals by placing most of them in a plastic container, then keeping them in a “sealed biscuit tin with no ventilation”. He was also charged with keeping the Argentinian tegu in a breakfast cereal box.

PRE-ORDERED SOME FROGS

Wong, who owns a company dealing with vivarium-scaping services and the sale of vivarium supplies, had met Li sometime last year.

Vivariums, which are similar to terrariums, allow people to keep animals under semi-natural conditions for observation or as pets.

Wong had pre-ordered five poison dart frogs from Li, paying him for the animals and the transportation fees.

Wong also ordered another eight frogs from a pet shop owner in Kuala Lumpur, Malalysia — known only as Tom.

He paid RM3,050 (S$1,000) for them, and asked Li to help bring these frogs into Singapore together with the other five. He agreed to give another S$240 as transportation fees.

Li was arrested the next morning.

National Parks Board prosecutor Wendy Tan sought a S$7,200 fine, saying that such offences were difficult to detect because these animals can be easily hidden in luggage or vehicles.

Such offences create “a demand that inadvertently pressures wildlife populations due to the illegal harvesting in native areas”, she added.

Wong’s lawyer, Ms Tania Chin from WithersKhattarWong, told the court that her client has never sold wildlife and did not know that the frogs were endangered. There was also no evidence that he wanted to breed or sell them.

She said that while researching animal habitats for his business, he chanced upon poison dart frogs and became “extremely intrigued” by them, wanting to add them to his pet collection — which included arowanas and stingrays.

In November, Li invited Wong to a carnival in a mall in Johor Baru, Malaysia when they bumped into each other there.

When he saw some poison dart frogs there, Ms Chin said that he “instantly fell in love” and impulsively bought them for about S$100 each, before arranging for Li to deliver them to him later that day.

However, two days after Li was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint, Wong was arrested.

Related topics

Johor Baru smuggling dart frogs Woodlands Checkpoint court crime

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