A 24-year-old Singaporean man was placed on 15 months' probation for amputating his pet rat's limb without anaesthesia, and illegally taking and selling wildlife.
Jenson Neo, who was caught in a sting operation by the National Parks Board (NParks) in 2024, pleaded guilty to five of 13 charges under the Animals and Birds Act on Tuesday (July 7), reported Lianhe Zaobao.
The remaining charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
According to court documents cited by Zaobao, Neo had amputated his pet rat's injured front right leg on July 9, 2022, after believing the limb had become gangrenous.
He carried out the procedure himself despite not being a qualified veterinarian.
Before the procedure, Neo applied only numbing cream to the rat's leg, which was insufficient to alleviate the animal's pain.
Neo came into the attention of authorities in 2024 when he attempted to sell a civet online.
He had found a common palm civet near his home along Jalan Dermawan on Jan 26, 2024, and illegally kept it as a pet for about a month, according to court documents.
He later advertised the animal for sale in a Telegram group chat for $500, believing the asking price was reasonable as cats and dogs typically sold for about four times as much.
NParks enforcement officers, posing as buyers, contacted Neo and agreed to buy the civet and a cage for $580.
At about 7.55pm on Feb 23, 2024, Neo carried out the transaction in person at a playground along Lorong Kemunchup.
After the sale was completed, several NParks officers identified themselves and instructed him to put down the cage containing the civet.
Neo instead tried to release the civet and escape arrest, sparking a brief violent struggle before he was subdued and arrested.
Investigations later revealed that Neo had illegally taken, kept and sold wildlife on separate occasions before his arrest.
This includes taking two mangrove snakes from an unknown location in 2022, having a red-tailed boa at his home and selling a sugar glider to an individual identified as Lisa for $50 in 2023.
On another occasion, Neo took a colugo, also known as a flying lemur, from Dairy Farm Nature Park in Oct 3, 2023.
On Tuesday, Neo was also ordered to complete 70 hours of community service and undergo psychiatric assessment and follow-up treatment to address impulse control issues and manage his compulsive responses towards animals.
His parents were also required to furnish a $5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour during the 15-month probation period.
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