SINGAPORE, March 18 — A 24-year-old man has been charged in court with illegally importing more than a dozen tarantulas from the United Kingdom and keeping several of the eight-legged spiders in a Bedok North flat.
Herman Foo Yong He, who faces 39 charges under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, is also accused of keeping four geckos and a hedgehog in the flat.
He will plead guilty next week, a district court heard today.
Prosecutors from the National Parks Board are seeking a S$17,000 (RM51,498) fine.
If convicted of possessing an animal species listed in the Act, Foo could be fined up to S$50,000 for each species, jailed for up to two years, or both.
If convicted of illegally importing wild animals, he could be fined up to S$1,000 for each animal.
Spiders allegedly imported by registered post
Based on court documents, Foo allegedly imported the tarantulas by registered parcels on Aug 15, 2018.
- Fourteen tarantulas were seized from the Singapore Post Air Cargo Centre:
- Two skeleton tarantulas, native to several South American countries.
- Three golden blue leg baboon tarantulas — yellow-bodied and blue-legged spiders found in South Africa.
- Two burst horned baboon tarantulas, found in Southern Africa.
- Two Venezuelan suntiger tarantulas, which are endemic to Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil in South America.
- One straight horned baboon tarantula, found in Zimbabwe and Mozambique in Africa.
- One red-rump baboon tarantula, widely found in Mexico.
- One king baboon tarantula, native to East Africa.
- One “Ami sp Panama” tarantula. Ami refers to a group of tarantulas found in South and Central America.
- One “Theraphosidae sp” tarantula. Theraphosidae refers to a family of large tropical spiders.
Court documents did not state what Foo meant to do with them or whether they were found alive.
He also allegedly kept other animals in a flat along Bedok North Avenue 1:
- One fat-tailed gecko, native to West Africa.
- Three leopard geckos.
- One four-toed hedgehog.
- Two Singapore blue tarantulas.
- Three “Theraphosidae sp” tarantulas.
- One Antilles pinktoe tarantula, native to the island of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea.
- One Costa Rican zebra tarantula, also known as the striped-knee tarantula and found in Central America.
- One Guatemalan tiger rump tarantula.
- One ornamental baboon tarantula, found in several African countries.
- One Thailand golden fringe tarantula.
- One cobalt blue tarantula, native to Myanmar.
- One Chacho golden knee tarantula, found in South America.
- One Gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula, a critically endangered species found in India.
- One Mexican redleg tarantula.
- One Mexican red knee tarantula.
- One burst horned baboon tarantula. — TODAY
