A 24-year-old man in Singapore was sentenced on Tuesday (7 July) to 15 months of probation after performing an amputation on his pet mouse and illegally selling wild animals online.
Singaporean Jensen Neo faced 13 charges, with most of them under the Wildlife Act.
According to court documents, Neo’s pet mouse suffered an injury to its right front leg on 9 July 2022.
Believing the limb had become necrotic, he amputated it himself rather than seeking veterinary care.
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Neo only applied an anaesthetic cream to the mouse’s leg, failing to provide general anaesthesia or pain relief.
He is not a qualified veterinarian and has no professional surgical training.
On 26 Jan 2024, Neo found a common palm civet cub near his residence and kept it as a pet.
A month later, on 22 Feb 2024, he advertised it for sale in a Telegram group, offering the cub for S$500.
It was heard that he found the amount reasonable, given that ordinary pets such as cats and dogs generally sell for four times that price.
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Enforcement officers from the National Parks Board (NParks) posing as buyers had then contacted Neo.
The two parties eventually agreed on a transaction price of S$580, which included a cage.
They subsequently arranged to meet for the trade at 7.30pm on 23 Feb 2024.
At 8pm that day, Neo showed up with the palm civet.
As soon as the S$580 payment was made, multiple enforcement officers ambushed him and revealed their identities.
Upon realising what was happening, Neo attempted to open the cage to let the palm civet escape, but he was stopped and arrested.
According to CNA, Neo had been accused of illegally capturing wild animals and selling them between 2022 and 2024.
In Jan 2022, Neo allegedly took two mangrove snakes from an unknown location without obtaining written approval from the director-general of wildlife management.
A year later, on 7 July 2023, he used Telegram to offer a bird from a protected wildlife species for sale.
Just days later, on 11 July 2023, he was found keeping a reticulated python at a house along Jalan Dermawan in Bukit Batok’s Hillview estate.
His online trade allegedly continued into Aug 2023, when he advertised a Malayan box turtle on Telegram.
This was then followed by the S$50 sale of a sugar glider to a buyer named Lisa a month later.
By Oct 2023, Neo’s activities shifted back to nature reserves, where he allegedly took a colugo, or flying lemur, from Dairy Farm Nature Park without approval.
In Jan 2024, he allegedly sold a corn snake for S$250 without approval.
Neo faced 13 charges, including offences under the Wildlife Act and the Animals and Birds Act.
He had previously pleaded guilty to five of the charges.
On Tuesday, the judge sentenced him to 15 months of probation after considering the remaining charges.
In addition to probation, Neo must adhere to a curfew, complete 70 hours of community service, and undergo psychological evaluation and counselling.
His parents are required to provide a S$5,000 bond to ensure his compliance.
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Featured image adapted from zorotoo’s Images on Canva and Our Wild Neighbours, for illustration purposes only.