Singapore: A 36-year-old Indian-origin Malaysian was sentenced to 12 months in prison for smuggling 26 puppies and a cat in laundry bags from Malaysia to Singapore, media reports said. Describing the case as "one of the most serious cases of animal smuggling to date", the National Parks Board (NParks) said one puppy was found dead and 18 subsequently died from canine parvovirus infection, Channel News Asia reported on Monday.
Gobysuwaran Paraman Sivan was sentenced to prison for illegally importing pet animals without a licence and causing the animals unnecessary pain and suffering in the process, the report said. He smuggled 26 puppies and one cat in a lorry from Malaysia on October 18, 2022.
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Immigration officers at Tuas Checkpoint, on the Singapore side of the bridge link with southern Peninsular Malaysia, stopped a Malaysian-registered lorry and found the 27 pets hidden in various compartments of the lorry, according to NParks. Officers found some animals confined in laundry bags and stowed away in the vehicle's overhead compartment.
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Other animals were packed behind the driver and passenger seats in plastic containers, the report added. "Had these puppies been sold, canine parvovirus might have spread to other dogs in the community," said NParks. Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious and relatively common cause of acute, infectious gastrointestinal illness in young, unvaccinated dogs. NParks and partner agencies have detected 19 cases of animal smuggling between October 2022 and March 2023. (PTI)
