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RSAF regular who sold pregnant pangolin gets probation

2024-03-01 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE - A Republic of Singapore Air Force regular was sentenced to a year’s probation on Feb 29 for selling a pangolin he found at a park connector.

Damien Tan Guan Rong, 21, who holds the rank of Military Expert 1 and is employed as a technician, is to remain indoors from 11pm to 6am every day.

If the curfew period is required to be varied for official work duties, it must be with prior approval from his work supervisors.

Additionally, Tan will need to complete 80 hours of community service as part of his probation.

Tan had pleaded guilty in January to one charge of selling a protected wildlife species without approval. Three other charges under the Wildlife Act and Animals and Birds Act were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Sunda pangolins are a critically endangered and protected wildlife species in Singapore. It is illegal to remove them from the wild.

The court heard that on July 2, 2023, Tan had taken the pangolin from a park connector along Yio Chu Kang Road.

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He kept the animal in his home, and soon posted videos and photos offering it for sale on a Telegram chat group about exotic pets.

Despite knowing that Sunda pangolins feed primarily on ants, Tan was reluctant to source ants and, instead, tried feeding it fruits and vegetables.

Tan eventually sold the pangolin to Lee Kian Han for $1,400. They met at a Housing Board block to make the transaction at about 2am on July 4, 2023.

The same day, Lee posted an advertisement on Telegram reselling the pangolin for $1,600. The National Parks Board (NParks) noticed this ad and met Lee to purchase the animal.

Upon seizing the pangolin, NParks sent it for examination and observation, which found that the animal was pregnant and “very hungry”.

Tan’s lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan said in court that his client has since donated more than $2,100 to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

“He has given back to society more than he has enriched himself... He’s done it because he doesn’t want to retain such ill-gotten gains,” said the lawyer.

The Ministry of Defence said in reply to media queries that it was aware of Tan’s sentence.

It said service personnel who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law, and added that the Singapore Armed Forces will take “appropriate disciplinary actions” against Tan.

For selling a protected wildlife species, Tan could have been fined up to $50,000 or jailed for a maximum of two years, or both.

Lee has been charged with two offences under the Wildlife Act and one offence under the Animals and Birds Act. He is scheduled to plead guilty on March 13.