SINGAPORE: Lee Kian Han attempted to make a$ 200 ( US$ 150 ) profit by selling an endangered pangolin to an undercover officer from the National Parks Board ( NPParks ).
The Sunda animal, a guarded animals types in Singapore, was afterwards found to be pregnant and very thirsty.
Lee Kian Han, 35, was fined S$ 8, 000 on Wednesday ( Mar 13 ) after pleading guilty to selling a protected wildlife species.
Another two charges were taken into account for punishment when keeping the animal and failing to take appropriate care of it were considered.
Edgar Tan Guan Rong, a 21-year-old Republic of Singapore Air Force normal, was sentenced to a year of probation on February 29th. He was the person who sold Lee the pangolin.
Lee told the court on Wednesday that he and his companions immediately believed Tan did not possess the sheep, and that he had to play a trick and ask Tan to exhibit up with it.
He added that when Tan arrived with the animal, he made the decision to keep his word and purchase it while intoxicated. He added that when he learned that doing so was illegal, he did no re-enter it into the wild.
WHAT HAPPENED
The incident began on July 2, 2023 when Tan removed the animal from a garden connection along Yio Chu Kang Road.
He negotiated with interested buyers on the amount and posted it for sales on a Telegram chat group. He kept it in his Punggol even for a few days.
Sunda pangolins generally feed on ants, but he was afraid to look for them and rather gave the animal fruits and vegetables.
Tan and Lee both received the Telegram advertisements. They met in Jurong West, where Lee stayed, when Tan asked if he wanted to buy the orangutan.
Two nights after Tan picked up the animal, the couple met in person.
Lee transferred S$ 1, 400 to Tan as pay for the animal via the PayNow system. Additionally, he photographed the dog to show it to his companions.
He later made the decision to resell it because he wanted to get the money he had already paid and did n’t know how to care for it.
NParks caught the ad and called him when he posted it for sales on the same Telegram chat group. Lee initially set a value of S$ 1, 500 before raising it by S$ 100.
On the evening of July 4, 2023, they met in Jurong West. The price was started by Lee, who was carrying a green enclosed bag typical for GrabFood users.
The NParks agent requested Lee’s assistance in order to transfer the remaining$ 1, 000 in cash to PayNow and handed over the remaining amount. He therefore placed Lee under arrest.
The animal was transported to the Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and has since been returned to the wild.
WANTED TO” PRANK AND TROLL”
On Wednesday, an NParks attorney sought a great of S$ 8, 000 to S$ 10, 000, saying it is difficult to find the hunting and selling of such creatures.
He noted that due to the demand for their body parts and flesh, the Sunda animal is the only animal species that is indigenous to Singapore and one of three others that are considered critically endangered. They frequently perish in road mishaps, and human traffic has also threatened their wildlife.
Lee said it was his first encounter with the law and that he did not intend to preserve the animal as a dog.
” What happened was, first, my friends and I saw the article and wanted to trick and trolls him, ask what color it was”, he told District Judge Lorraine Ho.
He continued, adding that he had another inquiries in the chat class regarding the animal’s ability to wear a rope. The buyer said “yes.”
We believed he was vibrating at the same rate as us, Lee continued.
I was drinking when he texted me to ask if I also wanted to purchase it two or three days afterwards. While I was so- called intoxicated, I still did n’t believe him and I told him, if you dare to bring it, I will buy it”.
Lee finally claimed later that evening, Tan sent a picture of the place where Lee was, signalling that he had arrived.
” I came down because I was curious to see what kind of man he was,” Lee continued as he opened the bag, which revealed a pangolin.
He argued that if he was severe about buying the dog, he would have prepared money to get “untraceable” and gotten a box as well.
” I regretted it was real”, he said. ” I thought he made an effort … so I kept up my conclusion of the problem”.
When Judge Ho questioned him about why he did n’t call NParks or an animal welfare organization to take the pangolin, he replied that he did n’t want to face penalties for purchasing it. Additionally, he went to work the following night and did some research before discovering that it was illegal to transfer an endangered species into the wild.
The judge asked:” Subsequently you tried to buy it for profit? How does that make impression”?
Lee also testified before the court that because the officer had stated that he remained in the southeast region of Singapore, he” chose” to market the animal to the NParks officer rather than other potential customers.
” Be in the south, means he does take care of it”? questioned Judge Ho.
Lee replied:” No, he said he knew how to take care of it… and if he stayed in the south, higher probability, he was in landed property or condo”.
Warning Statements REQUIRED
The NParks counsel responded that self-intoxication was not a contributing factor and that Lee’s unique research may have demonstrated that selling a animal was a crime.
Judge Ho noted that warning sentences are necessary given that for trade could seriously harm Singapore’s fragile wildlife while sentenced Lee. Moreover, here, illegal animal industry is growing.
From 2021 to 2023, the number of advertising of banned wild creatures found on Telegram nearly doubled from 333 in 2021 to 660 in 2023,  , according to a report by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society.
According to the judge, Lee likewise knew from his research that a animal like the one in his hands could fetch between S$ 20, 000 and S$ 30,000.
She consented to Lee making the initial payment of half of the good and to pay the remaining in installments of S$ 1, 000. If he cannot pay the fine, he has to provide 20 times ‘ prison.
Without prior written consent, those who sell or maintain a guarded animals types face jail time in addition to fines of up to S$ 50 000 or both.