Exotic mini-zoo seized from Singapore HDB Flat

More than 30 wild animals, including pythons, tortoises, a slow loris and a marmoset have been seized from a flat in Singapore in the city's largest such haul of banned wildlife in more than a decade, a government agency said Tuesday.

The owner, who kept the animals in a public housing apartment, could be jailed for two years and fined up to SG$500,000 ($297,000), the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement.

The 32 animals included a Sunda slow loris, a nocturnal tree-dwelling primate; a common marmoset, a small monkey with a long tail; and three ball pythons, which are popular in the pet trade because of their docile nature.

There were also three black-tailed prairie dogs, several types of tortoise, five ornate horned frogs, an iguana, a gecko and a degu, a small rodent endemic to central Chile.

"The seizure, which includes highly endangered and threatened species like the slow loris, marmoset, Indian star tortoise and ball python, is AVA's largest inland seizure of wildlife since 2002," the agency said in a statement.

"A man is currently assisting AVA in the investigations."

Residents in public housing, where most Singaporeans live, are only allowed to keep approved pets such as non-endangered birds, aquarium fish and one small dog per household.

The animals, which were rescued earlier this month, are now in the care of a company running the Singapore Zoo, said the AVA, which raided the flat after a tipoff.

It warned the public that keeping illegal wildlife could pose health hazards and threaten the densely populated tropical island's biodiversity if the animals enter the local environment.

The animals that were seized have been sent to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore for proper care and custody.

1 Sunda slow loris

1 Common marmoset

2 Indian star tortoise

3 Leopard tortoise

2 Red-footed tortoise

2 Yellow-footed  tortoise

2 Alligator snapping  turtle

3 Ball python

5 Ornate horned frog

2 Green iguana

1 Inland bearded dragon

2 Sailfin dragon

1 Lined flat-tail gecko

3 Black-tailed prairie dog

2 Degu

White Lions: Bangkok Men Charged with Illegal Wildlife Trading

During a house raid of Montri Boonprom-on’s residence near Bangkok, police found something they never would have expected: a menagerie of more than 200 wild animals – some with teeth. Among the creatures found by police, there were 14 rare albino lions and a legally protected species of leopard in a box.

Police made the surprising discovery after a routine call. "We received a complaint about the smell from the neighbours and after investigating, we discovered the animals hidden there," Police Colonel Ek Ekasart said.

Two Thai men, including Montri, were charged in the case with illegal wildlife trading in the case and could be sentenced to prison for up to four years and receive a fine of 40,000 baht ($1,300). Police believe the men brought the lions into Thailand with permits to sell them to zoos, but instead intended to sell them privately. One of the two men was charged with the same crime four years ago.

Alongside the big cats found stalking Montri’s home were birds, meerkats, tortoises, peafowls and monkeys. Once the process is complete, the animals will either be released into the wild or handed over to zoos. The white lions can be seen in police captivity here.

Montri, 41, is no stranger to wildlife, owning an exotic pet shop in Bangkok’s legendary Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of the world’s largest weekend markets. While the majority of the goods on sale at the market are legitimate, this story highlights Thailand’s close links with the illegal wildlife trade.

Indeed, Asia has an appetite for uncommon animals, both as pets and for use of their body parts in various traditional medicines – perhaps the best known being traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which makes use of anything from dried starfish and bear paws to dried scorpions and donkey umbilical cords. A list of other such goodies – also including dried flying lizards and rat fetuses – and their uses, can be seen here.

Thailand is trying to live down its reputation for assisting in this business – especially when it involves legally protected species – as seen in Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s announcement of legislation intended to bring the nation’s longstanding ivory trade to end this March.