A Malaysian man was sentenced to 12 months jail on Apr. 24 for smuggling 27 animals – 26 puppies and a cat – into Singapore.
One puppy was found dead and 18 dogs from the lot died later due to disease.
The National Parks Board (NParks) described the incident as “one of the most serious cases of animal smuggling to date”.
Gobysuwaran Paraman Sivan, 36, was charged with illegally importing pet animals without a proper licence and causing unnecessary pain and suffering in the process, NParks said in a media release on Monday.
The animals were found in laundry bags and some were in plastic boxes.
He had stowed away some of the animals in overhead compartments and some were placed in hidden compartments behind the driver and passenger seats.
Not his first time
Gobysuwaran first smuggled animals into Singapore in 2021. As a lorry driver who transported construction materials from Malaysia to Singapore, he was traveling regularly into Singapore via Tuas.
According to him, a man called “Dido” approached him in 2021 with an offer to smuggle animals. The only catch? Gobysuwaran wouldn’t be paid for any animal who died in the process.
From then, he began to regularly smuggle animals including dogs, cats, parrots and more, up to two or three times a week. He would ear RM1,000 (US$225) for every trip.
How he got caught
On one of his missions on Oct. 18, 2022, he picked up seven nylon laundry bags, two covered plastic containers and a container with cling wrap as its cover that were being used by Dido’s accomplice to store 26 dogs and a cat.
As Gobysuwaran reached Tuas to go through the immigration checkpoint, a puppy escaped from one of the containers and was spotted by an officer. He then admitted that he had other animals onboard as well.
At that point, officers found the 25 dogs and the cat that were hidden but still alive in the lorry. Unfortunately, a French bulldog did not survive and was found dead in a laundry bag due to insufficient air. French bulldogs are known to be prone to overheating and breathing issues due to the structure of their faces.
However, 18 of the dogs subsequently died from a contagious gastrointestinal virus spread by faeces.
Later in court, it was stated that all the animals were in “weak condition” and suffered from a number of health issues like parasites, skin conditions, and more.
Victim of circumstance?
Gobysuwaran’s lawyer, Ashvin Hariharan, said his client is from a low-income background and is the sole caregiver to his elderly mother who has been diagnosed with cancer.
The promise of fast money probably drove him to take up the job.
However, District Judge Lorraine Ho was less empathetic and said that the extent of pain and suffering caused to the animals was significant and that it was all done for financial gain.
Animal smuggling is a real issue
NParks said in its statement on Monday that the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and other agencies have flagged 19 cases of attempted animal smuggling.
They warned that the health and wellbeing of smuggled animals are often compromised due to the discreet conditions they are smuggled in.
They added that the smuggling will cease only when the buying and demand for illegally imported animals stop.
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