42 cases of animal smuggling at Singapore borders in 2024, highest in recent years

Indian star tortoises, live corals and an Asian arowana were among 42 cases of animal smuggling caught at Singapore's borders in 2024, the highest number of smuggling attempts in recent years.

Thirty-five smuggling cases were thwarted in 2023 and 34 in 2022. And between January and April 2025, eight cases were detected at the borders.

More than 240 animals were also seized from over 30 premises in Singapore in the last two years, said the National Parks Board (NParks) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a statement on May 27.

These cases involved people who peddled exotic animals for sale through social media platforms such as Telegram.

These updates on the illegal trade were provided amid the Cites Global Youth Summit on May 27, held at Sentosa.

Convened under the auspices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), the inaugural five-day summit drew more than 70 young people from around 50 countries. It serves to equip fledgling leaders with the skills and networks needed to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in their respective countries.

Due to its location, Singapore has been known to be a transit country for the illegal wildlife trade, including animal parts such as pangolin scales and rhino horns.

This illicit trade here is also rife in the virtual world, particularly on social media, as the market for illegal wildlife and animal parts in Singapore has generally gone underground in the last decade.

In one of the larger cases of 2024, a man from India was jailed for attempting to smuggle 58 Indian star tortoises into Indonesia via Changi Airport. The animals were hidden in a luggage with no ventilation. One tortoise was found dead, and 22 others were assessed to be thin.

Under the multilateral treaty Cites, the Indian Star Tortoise is listed as a species that faces a high risk of extinction if its trade is not severely restricted, and its commercial trading is generally prohibited.

Other cases in 2024 included the smuggling of kittens, puppies, live birds, an Asian arowana and live corals.

In February 2024, a man was jailed for eight weeks for the illegal keeping of 69 exotic animals at a farm at Neo Tiew, including the African spurred tortoises and the Argentinian black and white tegus, a large lizard.

Increased demand for exotic pets and the use of technologies to detect smuggling attempts are some of the key reasons contributing to the slight increase in smuggling cases in 2024, said Ms Xie Renhui, director of wildlife trade at NParks.

"There are various reasons as to why the demand for exotic wildlife as pets is on the rise here. One reason could be novelty, because we have a small list of approved pets to be kept home in Singapore. Other cases involved exotic wildlife or animals being (planned for) transit through Singapore," she said.

Exotic animals peddled online in Singapore include sugar gliders (a species of possum), tarantulas, hedgehogs and leopard geckos.

Individuals also attempt to smuggle in approved pets like dogs and cats because they want to evade biosecurity checks and proper permits, Ms Xie added.

The authorities have also been reaching out to local e-commerce platforms to alert them if the sale of exotic animals are spotted online.

"It's a continuous effort to create the awareness as well as educate the general public of not fuelling illegal wildlife trade or buying commodities that are of unknown origin," added Ms Xie.

The efforts of ICA officers, who are trained to detect suspicious travellers and vehicles, coupled with the use of technology, have also contributed to the detection of more animal smuggling cases at the land checkpoints, said NParks and ICA.

The officers use mobile X-ray scanning machines to identify hidden modified compartments in cargo lorries, cars, and motorcycles. In May 2024, officers found seven puppies and one kitten concealed in a modified car boot compartment of a Malaysia-registered car.

Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan, who spoke at the summit on May 27, highlighted the locally created mobile app Fin Finder, which identifies the fins of sharks and rays, including Cites-listed species, within seconds.

Mr Tan also said NParks' Centre for Wildlife Forensics has been using DNA and molecular studies to trace the origins of pangolin scales and ivory figurines, for example.

"This supports enforcement work and prosecution, and provides insights on potential trade routes of trafficked wildlife products," he added.

The summit was organised by the Cites Global Youth Network, founded by Singaporean youths. Its participants include scientists, rangers, lawyers, conservationists, and advocates.

Mr Keith Ng, a member of the youth network, said: "The smugglers and the traffickers are super organised folks and they are all driven by profit, and so they will find any means to get their goods across.

"That's why we also must be similarly well-organised and be willing to collaborate from a young age. That way, we can be one step ahead of them. If not, we're never going to win this."