Indian national charged for carrying 58 tortoises during transit at Singapore airport

Singapore, August 30

An Indian national was on Friday charged for allegedly possessing 58 Indian star tortoises during his transit at Changi Airport here.

Abdul Jaffar Haji Ali, 40, was travelling from India to Jakarta when he made a transit halt here on Thursday morning when the authorities found 58 Indian star tortoises concealed — sealed and not ventilated — in his personal luggage.

“A court here charged Ali Friday with unlawfully bringing the animals into Singapore – an offence under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act,” The Straits Times reported.

He is accused of transporting them to the city-state without a valid permit or certificate.

Ali was also handed a charge under the Animals and Birds Act for allegedly failing to take reasonable steps in ensuring that the tortoises did not suffer unnecessarily. Court documents did not disclose the current state of the animals.

Ali’s case will be mentioned again in court on September 20, according to the report.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put the Indian star tortoises in ‘vulnerable’ category.