Man gets 16 months' jail for attempting to smuggle 58 Indian star tortoises into Indonesia via Changi Airport

SINGAPORE: A man was transiting through Singapore in August when he was caught at Changi Airport with 58 Indian star tortoises in his luggage.

Indian national Abdul Jaffar Haji Ali was jailed for 16 months on Tuesday (Dec 10) after he was convicted of one count of illegally importing a scheduled species into Singapore. 

The Indian star tortoise is listed as a highly endangered species in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. According to the National Parks Board (NParks), such species face a serious risk of extinction if their trade is not severely restricted.

According to court documents, the tortoises were found wrapped in a cloth bundle inside a soft suitcase belonging to Abdul Jaffar.

The traveller was awaiting his connecting flight to Jakarta on Aug 29, after flying in from Chennai, when his luggage was screened by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers.

They detected an anomaly and the tortoises were discovered after the bag was opened. The matter was then referred to NParks for further investigations.

The animals, meanwhile, were seized and sent to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation for examination.

In an animal health and welfare assessment report arising from the examination, a veterinarian said that the manner in which the tortoises were transported into Singapore did not meet the guidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on the safe and humane transport of animals.

This caused them "unnecessary suffering", the vet added.

According to the vet, the tortoises' transport conditions did not meet IATA's standards for the following reasons:

• The suitcase they were found in was not sturdy enough to withstand heavy stacking or other external forces. There was a risk of the animals being crushed during their transport, which could have led to injuries or deaths.
• There were no ventilation openings in the suitcase, creating a risk of suffocation, heat stress and hypothermia.
• The tortoises were packed too densely in a small and confined space. The animals, as a result, faced increased suffering, and a higher risk of suffocation and heat stress.
• The suitcase was also not suitably labelled, and if the bag had been inappropriately handled, it would have caused stress or injuries to the tortoises, leading to compromised welfare.

Of the 58 tortoises, one of them was found dead. While it did not exhibit any obvious signs of injuries or diseases, it was assessed to be very thin. Twenty-two others were also found to be thin and the rest were found to be of acceptable weight.

Court documents stated that Abdul Jaffar did not have a valid permit issued by the director-general of wildlife trade control to import a scheduled species into Singapore.

LUGGAGE PACKED BY A FRIEND

Investigations revealed that Abdul Jaffar intended to travel to Jakarta for a holiday and to buy women's clothing for his business back in India.

A friend of his, who was named in court documents as Bhai, did all the planning for his trip and covered the cost of his flight ticket.

In exchange for this, Bhai asked Abdul Jaffar to help bring the suitcase, which Bhai had packed, to the Indonesian capital where someone would collect it from him.

At no point did Abdul Jaffar ask Bhai about the contents of the luggage, even after the latter had sent him a story about the seizure of star tortoises in India via text message.

On the morning of Aug 28, the day of Abdul Jaffar's departure, Bhai openly shared that the bag contained ladies' clothing. However, Abdul Jaffar again did not verify this and proceeded to board his flight.

At all times, the accused had ample opportunity to check and verify the contents of the suitcase himself in the presence of Bhai, court documents stated.

On the case, NParks said that Singapore does not allow the keeping of certain animals as pets for a number of reasons. 

This is because wildlife can harbour diseases which could be introduced and spread to humans and domestic animals, while the collection of wild animals for trade disrupts ecosystems and threatens the survival of endangered species.

It added that unsuitable living conditions, a poor diet and a pet owner's lack of knowledge on how to properly care for an exotic animal may affect its welfare, while exotic pets might negatively impact Singapore's native biodiversity if they are released into the wild.