SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced to 12 months’ jail on Monday (Apr 24) for smuggling 27 pet animals, some in laundry bags, from Malaysia to Singapore.
Of the 27 animals, one puppy was found dead and 18 subsequently died from a canine disease.
Gobysuwaran Paraman Sivan was sentenced for illegally importing pet animals without a licence and causing the animals unnecessary pain and suffering in the process, said the National Parks Board (NParks) in a media release on Monday.
The 36-year-old Malaysian had smuggled 26 puppies and one cat in a lorry from Malaysia on Oct 18, 2022, in what NParks described as “one of the most serious cases of animal smuggling to date”.
19 OF THE 26 PUPPIES DIED
In October 2022, immigration officers at Tuas Checkpoint stopped a Malaysia-registered lorry and found 27 pet animals hidden in various compartments of the lorry, according to NParks.
Officers found some animals confined in laundry bags and stowed away in the vehicle’s overhead compartment. Other animals were packed behind the driver and passenger seats in plastic containers.
One puppy was found dead on arrival, and laboratory tests detected the canine parvovirus in some of the remaining puppies. Eighteen subsequently died.
Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious and relatively common cause of acute, infectious gastrointestinal illness in young, unvaccinated dogs.
“Had these puppies gone into homes, canine parvovirus might have been spread to other dogs in the community,” said NParks.