SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint for trying to smuggle 13 puppies into the country. They were hidden in three black bags in a Singapore-registered car. Thirteen puppies that a woman tried to smuggle into Singapore from Malaysia are healthy and doing well.
They are in quarantine and being monitored by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) for clinical signs of infectious or contagious disease, especially rabies, at the Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station.
“The puppies are not available for adoption for now as we are working with our Malaysian counterparts to return them,” said an AVA spokesman here the other day.
A 33-year-old Singaporean woman was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint for attempting to smuggle the puppies in without a proper permit.
The animals were discovered hidden in three black bags under the driver’s seat of a Singapore- registered car, the front passenger’s seat and the glove compartment during a routine check.
It is believed that the puppies, which appear to be of popular breeds such as poodle and Japanese spitz, were being smuggled in for sale in Singapore.
Such animals can be bought legally here, but some smugglers bring them in to sell at a lower price online, for example, on websites such as Locanto or Adpost.
A Japanese spitz puppy, for instance, costs about $1,500 online but the price could go up to $3,800 at pet shops.
Dr Siew Tuck Wah, president of animal welfare group Save Our Street Dogs, said puppies brought in illegally could be sold at a lower price as smugglers do not pay for the proper import procedures.
“To legally import a puppy from Malaysia, it could cost up to $3,000 in quarantine fees and import papers,” said Dr Siew. “Many pet shops will choose to bring dogs in from Australia instead, as there is no quarantine period. But imports from a proper breeder are also more expensive.”
