Singaporean man caught with 22 endangered star tortoises
The 22 star tortoises found in a car boot (Photo: AVA)
A Singaporean man is under investigation for having 22 endangered star tortoises in his car at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
The 49-year-old was driving a Singapore-registered car towards the checkpoint on Thursday (23 June) when his vehicle was stopped for inspection, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a joint statement on Monday (27 June).
Upon inspection, the checkpoint officers uncovered the star tortoises kept in a bag in the car boot.
The Singaporean and the star tortoises were subsequently handed over to AVA. The star tortoises are now under the care of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
Singapore is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), under which the star tortoises are protected.
Offenders who are caught importing and exporting the star tortoises without a proper permit face a fine of up to $50,000 per animal, with the total fine capped at $500,000, and/or a jail term of up to two years.
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