By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 23 February 2011 1451 hrs
SINGAPORE: A scuba diving instructor was fined the maximum S$10,000 for bringing in a puppy from Malaysia without a licence.
29-year-old Eugene Yeo Jiedong visited a dog breeder in Kuala Lumpur on November 15 last year, to purchase a Golden Retriever puppy.
He paid about RM3,500 (S$1,500) for it before driving back to Singapore via the Tuas Checkpoint.
The court heard that Yeo was aware of the strict import control measures laid down by Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
But he decided to take the risk and placed the puppy inside a black bag before passing through the checkpoint undetected at around 5.30am the next day.
He was exposed when he brought the four-month-old puppy to Mount Pleasant Veterinary Clinic December 7 last year.
Yeo told Dr Boon Chia Yun that he had brought the puppy into the country without a licence and he wanted it to be vaccinated against rabies in case it had the disease.
Dr Boon highlighted to him the seriousness of his offence as it could cause a rabies outbreak in Singapore.
She also advised him to own up to the AVA within a week's time, adding that she would report the matter to the authorities should he fail to do so.
Yeo did not heed the advice and this prompted Dr Boon to blow the whistle on him.
AVA's prosecuting officer, Yap Teck Chuan, who had pressed for the maximum fine, said that the courts should adopt a strong stance against such offences.
He stressed that rabies was a fatal disease transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.
Singapore has been free from rabies since 1953 and an outbreak here would spread panic amongst the public, said Mr Yap.
- CNA/fa
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