Guest guest Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/11/18/features/6709542 & sec=\ features ________________________ Tuesday November 18, 2003 Strategic hub for animal transit Illegally-traded wildlife usually find their way all over the world through the ports of one country & #8211; Singapore, GERALDINE CHUA reports. IN GRITTY cardboard boxes, exotic tortoises are stacked like saucers, their heads taped back into their shells. In rolled up socks, rare lizards are holed up in suitcases stored in an overhead flight compartment. Wildlife smuggling is on the rise, say authorities in Singapore, whose ports are increasingly used as transit points in the shuttling of endangered animals between the United States and tropical Asian countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam. “It is at a dangerously high level,” said Chris Shepherd, regional programme manager at Traffic South-East Asia, a Malaysia-based non-government body that monitors wildlife trade. Precise data on how many endangered animals are shipped around the world is extremely difficult to obtain, said Elizabeth Bennett, director of hunting and wildlife trade at the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society. “The very fact that it is illegal in most countries means that official numbers are unobtainable,” she said. “And data collected by researchers tend to be guesses at best.” But evidence in Singapore points to a rising Asian trade. Four wildlife smuggling syndicates have been identified in Singapore and authorities have confiscated animals worth S$300,000 (RM660,000) in the first five months of the year, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said. That compares with S$65,000 (RM143,000) for the whole of last year. “Most conservationists working on wildlife trade issues will recognise Singapore as a centre for wildlife trade in Asia,” said Vadivu Govind, president of Animal Watch, an animal rights group based in Singapore. “Its geological location makes it a good transshipment point.” Cruel trade Singapore, where trade in endangered species is strictly regulated, has reported 21 cases of illegal wildlife trade so far this year, said the AVA. Many involve star-patterned tortoises, a popular pet often smuggled from Madras in southern India and fed in Singapore before being shipped out again, often to America. In September, an Indian national was caught with 499 star tortoises in his luggage. In July, a Singaporean was indicted in the United States for shipping 198 turtles, 25 tortoises and three monitor lizards from Singapore to Orlando, Florida. Cockatoos are commonly smuggled in from Indonesia. Rattlesnakes and scorpions come from the United States, while tortoises often from India. “The animals mainly come from the US, India and Indonesia. It & #8217;s got to do with availability of these animals in these countries,” said Govind. The US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said more than half of the protected areas in Asia have lost at least one species of large mammal due to hunting, usually to supply illegal wildlife trade. Animals facing extinction include the Sumatran rhinoceros and the Siamese crocodile, said the WCS, which estimates that illegal global wildlife trafficking is worth about US$8bil (RM30.4bil) annually. Much of the problem is concentrated around Asia & #8217;s tropical forests, said the WCS & #8217;s Bennett. “The scale and impact of the illegal wildlife trade is greater overall in Asia than in other parts of the world,” she said. In Vietnam, 12 species & #8211; including the Asian elephant and the wild water buffalo & #8211; have become virtually extinct in the last 40 years due to hunting and wildlife trade, the WCS said. In northern Myanmar, tigers have been systematically hunted to near-extinction, it said. Tiger body parts, particularly tiger bones, are prized ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine to cure ailments such as epilepsy. Smuggled animals are often stuffed into boxes and suffer from stress, dehydration or starvation. Some are crushed to death. “The traffickers use covert means like hidden compartments in suitcases. Small animals may be rolled up in socks and laundry,” said Clifford Warwick, director of the BioVeterinary Group, an independent consultancy in reptile welfare and conservation. In April, a Singaporean was found smuggling baby pythons hidden in his pockets from neighbouring Malaysia. The 23-year-old man was in a taxi when custom officials arrested him. “Customs inspectors in other countries have witnessed horror cases of turtles with heads and legs taped inside their shells and stacked like saucers so that more of them can go into the cartons,” said Animal Watch & #8217;s Govind. Between January 2002 and September this year, a total of 2,938 star tortoises were seized in Singapore, the AVA said. Animal enthusiasts are willing to pay up to S$1,000 (RM2,200) for a cockatoo, S$150 (RM330) for each star tortoise and S$100 (RM220) for a scorpion. Back to the wild High costs can prevent conservation groups from sending animals back to the wild. Crating, air freight and other expenses totalled about S$8,000 (RM17,600) for 1,830 star tortoises Singapore returned to India in August. Bigger animals cost more. “We & #8217;re trying to repatriate six gibbons back to Thailand. It & #8217;ll probably cost about S$5,000 (RM11,000) per monkey,” said Louis Ng, president of the Animals Concerns Research and Education Society, a Singapore animal rights group. Singapore & #8217;s Zoological Gardens said illegally imported animals now crowd its quarantine rooms, which were not built for contraband wildlife but have handled 620 such animals this year. “So far over 90% of the animals quarantined at this facility are either confiscated or donated animals,” said quarantine management officer Saskia Lafebre. Conservation groups say Singapore & #8217;s laws are too weak to prevent smuggling. “For first time offenders, you get away with a maximum of S$5,000 (RM11,000). This is a paltry sum if you are involved in the wildlife trade business which is the second-largest illegal trade in the world after drugs,” said Govind. People found guilty of trading in illegal wildlife in Singapore face fines of up to S$5,000 (RM11,000) or up to 12 months & #8217; jail, or both. Last month, a Singapore surgeon was fined S$1,000 (RM2,200) for keeping 11 illegally imported reptiles in his home. “To someone involved in exotic animal trade, S$5,000 (RM11,000) or even S$10,000 (RM22,000) may not be a significant sum. One exotic pet can cost several thousand dollars,” said Govind. & #8211; Reuters<p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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