SINGAPORE: After buying an endangered pangolin from another man who had picked it up from a park connector, Lee Kian Han tried to make a profit of S$200 (US$150) by selling it to an undercover officer from the National Parks Board (NParks).
The Sunda pangolin, a protected wildlife species in Singapore, was later found to be pregnant and very hungry.
Lee Kian Han, 35, was fined S$8,000 on Wednesday (Mar 13) after pleading guilty to selling a protected wildlife species.
Another two charges — keeping the pangolin and failing to take proper care of it — were taken into consideration for sentencing.
The man who sold Lee the pangolin — Damien Tan Guan Rong, a 21-year-old Republic of Singapore Air Force regular — had been sentenced to one year of probation on Feb 29.
Lee told the court on Wednesday that he and his friends initially thought Tan did not actually have the animal, so he decided to play a prank and challenge Tan to show up with it.
He further claimed that when Tan showed up with the pangolin, he decided to keep up his end of the bargain and bought it while in an intoxicated state. He also claimed he did not release it back into the wild upon finding out it was an offence to do so.
WHAT HAPPENED
The case started when Tan took the pangolin from a park connector along Yio Chu Kang Road in the early hours of Jul 2, 2023.
He kept it in his Punggol flat for a few days and advertised it for sale on a Telegram chat group, negotiating with interested buyers on the price.
Despite knowing that Sunda pangolins feed primarily on ants, he was reluctant to look for them and instead fed the animal fruits and vegetables.
Lee saw the Telegram advertisement and sent Tan a message. When Tan asked him if he was keen to buy the pangolin, they arranged to meet in Jurong West where Lee stayed.
Two days after Tan picked up the animal, the pair met in person.
Lee transferred S$1,400 to Tan as payment for the pangolin via the PayNow platform. He also took photos of the animal to show to his friends.
Later that morning, he decided to resell it because he did not know how to care for it and wanted to recover the money he had paid.
When he posted it for sale on the same Telegram chat group, NParks detected the advertisement and an officer contacted him. Lee originally gave a price of S$1,500 before increasing it by S$100.
They met in Jurong West on the evening of July 4, 2023. Lee, who was carrying a green insulated bag typically given to GrabFood riders, initiated the sale.
The NParks officer handed over S$1,000 in cash and asked for Lee’s contact to transfer the remaining amount via PayNow. He then placed Lee under arrest.
The pangolin was sent to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and has since been released back into the wild.
WANTED TO “PRANK AND TROLL”
On Wednesday, an NParks prosecutor sought a fine of S$8,000 to S$10,000, saying it is difficult to detect the poaching and sale of such animals.
He noted that the Sunda pangolin is the only species native to Singapore and among three pangolin species listed as critically endangered, due to the demand for their meat and body parts. They are often killed in road accidents and their habitat has been threatened by human activity as well.
In mitigation, Lee said it was his first brush with the law and he did not intend to keep the pangolin as a pet.
“What happened was, initially, my friends and I saw the post and wanted to prank and troll him, ask what colour it was,” he told District Judge Lorraine Ho.
He added that he asked the seller other questions in the chat group, such as whether the animal could wear a leash. The seller responded yes.
“We thought he was vibrating on the same frequency as us,” Lee added.
“Two or three days later, I was drinking then he texted me and asked if I still wanted to purchase it. While I was so-called intoxicated, I still didn’t believe him and I told him, if you dare to bring it, I will buy it.”
Lee then claimed later that evening, Tan sent a photo of the area where Lee was, signalling that he had arrived.
“I came down because I was interested to see what kind of person he was, then I opened the bag and it was a pangolin,” Lee added.
He argued that if he was serious about buying the animal, he would have prepared cash to be “untraceable” and gotten a cage as well.
“I regretted it was real,” he said. “I thought he made an effort … so I kept up my end of the challenge.”
When questioned by Judge Ho on why he did not call NParks or an animal welfare society to take the pangolin, he said he did not want to get into trouble for buying it. He also went to work the next morning and did some research, only to discover it was an offence to release an endangered animal into the wild.
The judge asked: “Then you tried to resell it for profit? How does that make sense?”
Lee also told the court that he “chose” to sell the pangolin to the NParks officer, rather than other prospective buyers, because the officer had said he stayed in the eastern region of Singapore.
“Stay in the east, means he can take care of it?” questioned Judge Ho.
Lee replied: “No, he said he knew how to take care of it … and if he stayed in the east, high chance, he was in landed house or condo.”
DETERRENT SENTENCES REQUIRED
In response, the NParks prosecutor said self-intoxication was not a mitigating factor, and that Lee’s own research would have shown that selling a pangolin was an offence.
While sentencing Lee, Judge Ho noted that deterrent sentences are required given that such trade could severely harm Singapore’s delicate wildlife. The trade of illegal animals has also been on the rise here.
From 2021 to 2023, the number of advertisements of banned wild animals found on Telegram almost doubled from 333 in 2021 to 660 in 2023, according to a report by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society.
Lee also knew from his research that a pangolin like the one in his possession could fetch S$20,000 to S$30,000, added the judge.
She allowed Lee to pay half of the fine first and fork out the rest in instalments of S$1,000. If he cannot pay the fine, he has to serve 20 days’ imprisonment.
Those who sell or keep a protected wildlife species without written approval can be jailed for up to two years or fined up to S$50,000, or both.
