Sugar gliders — popular as exotic pets for its tiny, adorable demeanor — are considered illegal wildlife to have in possession without a licence under the Wild Animals and Birds Act.
The illegality didn’t stop a 24-year-old woman from attempting to bring in a live baby sugar glider into Singapore back in February. Nur Syahirah Binte Hussein has since been slapped with a $4,000 fine for her offence.
She was caught by an Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer at Woodlands Checkpoint carrying a red pouch that contained the critter. On top of not having an official import licence issued by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), Syahirah was also charged with the failure to ensure the animal was not subjected to unnecessary suffering.
AVA reminded the public that sugar gliders are considered wildlife and are not allowed to be kept as pets here. “The introduction of such animals may impact our local biodiversity should the animal be inadvertently released,” AVA wrote in a statement.
“More importantly, exotic animals may introduce undesirable animal diseases into Singapore, which could threaten local animal and public health.”
For the offence of importing animals and birds without a license, Syahirah could have received a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisoned for up to a year.
