SINGAPORE, Dec 23 — A 46-year-old man was charged in court today with hiding four live kittens in his pants, in a botched attempt to smuggle them from Malaysia into Singapore through Tuas Checkpoint.
Those charged alongside Justin Ng Chin Boon were Leow Hua Liang, the driver of the car that Ng was in, and a woman.
Ng, a Singaporean, faces 15 charges under the Animals and Birds Act. He is accused of trying to import the kittens close to midnight on January 2, 2019.
Court documents stated that he allegedly subjected the felines to unnecessary suffering, by conveying them in “cramped conditions with poor ventilation and temperature control”. The kittens were also “exposed to his body heat”.
Leow, 42, a Singaporean, who faces 17 charges, allegedly aided the smuggling by driving the car that Ng was in. It is unclear how they knew each other.
Previously, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced that officers had detected the kittens at Tuas Checkpoint. They conducted further checks when they heard meowing sounds coming from a bulge in his pants, ICA added.
The case was referred to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), which was dissolved in April last year. The National Parks Board now looks after animal matters.
The ICA said then that the kittens were under the AVA’s care and quarantine.
Ng and Leow also face allegations of smuggling animals in and out of Singapore on other occasions.
Leow allegedly struck again three days after the first incident.
He purportedly exported two oriental white-eye birds from Singapore to Malaysia through Tuas Checkpoint, keeping them in zippered coin pouches and hiding them in the driver’s door panel.
Both him and Ng are further accused of helping Leong Sok Boy, a 71-year-old woman, to import seven cats into Singapore through Tuas Checkpoint on August 11, 2018. They were hidden in either a hand-carry or plastic canvas bag.
Both men allegedly failed to declare the cats to inspecting officers. Ng is also said to have helped in trying to hide the hand-carry bag, while Leow was allegedly at the wheel again.
Leong, a Singaporean, was also charged with seven counts of importing the felines.
All three accused persons will return to court on January 27 next year.
Under the Animals and Birds Act, those convicted of importing or exporting animals without a permit could be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$10,000, or both.Those convicted of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to any animal could be jailed for up to 18 months, fined up to S$15,000, or both.
In its Facebook announcement on the kittens incident at the time, the ICA wrote: “Trying to get past fur-midable officers? Impawsible.” ― TODAY
