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A happy ending for 11 puppies smuggled into Singapore

Smuggled puppies
One of the smuggled puppies, a toy poodle, is examined by an AVA vet. PHOTO: Nicholas Yong/Yahoo News Singapore

Some four months after they were smuggled into Singapore in the modified fuel tank of a car, dehydrated and beset with skin problems and diarrhoea, 11 puppies have found a new home.

On Wednesday (26 July), four of the pooches were sent to an animal welfare group, where they will be put up for adoption. The remaining seven will be sent to the same group in batches. The puppies had earlier undergone a mandatory 100-day quarantine at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority’s (AVA) Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station (SAQS), a precautionary measure to prevent the influx of rabies and exotic diseases into the country by imported animals.

SAQS has 82 kennels and 60 catteries. It also houses imported animals, including cats and rabbits, all of which must undergo the same quarantine period. During their quarantine period, the animals are monitored for diseases and also groomed. The 11 smuggled puppies, comprising toy poodles, Shih Tzus and Malteses, were also given parasite treatments and vaccinations.

While Singapore has been free from rabies for more than 60 years, the disease is prevalent in the region. Earlier this month, two Malaysian children in Sarawak died after contracting rabies, the country’s first such deaths in almost two decades. This followed a rabies outbreak in Sarawak and Perak. Dogs are the main host for the illness.

Smuggled into Singapore

PHOTO: Nicholas Yong/Yahoo News Singapore
PHOTO: Nicholas Yong/Yahoo News Singapore

On 23 March this year, the 11 puppies were discovered in a Malaysia-registered car at Woodlands checkpoint, following inspections by customs officers. The space in which they were hidden was cramped and the animals had not been given food or water.

Following investigations by AVA, it was found that 43-year-old Ravichandran Muthusamy, the driver of the car, had been commissioned to bring the dogs into Singapore. On 7 June, Muthusamy was sentenced to 30 weeks’ jail for illegally importing the animals and a 20-week jail term for subjecting them to unnecessary pain or suffering, with both sentences running concurrently.

Since 2014, AVA has seized some 110 smuggled dogs, most of them pedigree breeds. Other animals confiscated include hedgehogs, star tortoises and small birds.

“Smuggled puppies usually arrive at SAQS in poor condition and may not survive as they suffer immense stress during the smuggling attempt,” said Clarissa Frany Francisco, executive manager of AVA’s Quarantine & Inspection Group. “As they are usually very young, we have to provide dedicated care, such as feeding every few hours and every night, daily health checks for signs of infectious or contagious diseases and provide them regular grooming,”

To help maintain Singapore’s rabies-free status, AVA urges members of the public to buy pets from reputable and legal sources, and to obtain the relevant import permits and health certificates when importing an animal.