Despite possessing venomous tail spines and a notorious reputation for killing Steve Irwin, freshwater stingrays are still reared as pets here.
If that wasn’t bad enough, someone actually had three of them. If that wasn’t bad enough, he (allegedly) abandoned ‘em all at Lower Seletar Reservoir.
Larry Tan Chin Guan, 48, was charged in the State Courts today for releasing three Motoro stingrays into the reservoir on the afternoon of June 2, Channel NewsAsia reported. According to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), the rays were released without reasonable cause, and the offence is punishable under the Animals and Birds Act.
The Potamotrygon Motoro is usually found occupying the large waterways that run through South America, and it can grow up to 92cm in body diameter in the wild. As pets, owners usually keep them in larger aquariums that require extensive filtration due to the high amount of waste they produce.
Tan is also expected to face a separate charge by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) in relation to releasing the rays into their reservoir. The case will be heard again on Sep 26.
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