2 men fined $4,000 each for importing live hornbill chick in Levi's paper bag

Two men were fined $4,000 each on Wednesday (July 18) for illegally importing a black hornbill chick from Malaysia.

The live chick had been found hidden in a paper bag in the front compartment of a Malaysian-registered motorcycle at Woodlands Checkpoint by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on May 12.

Investigations revealed that Mohammed Bin Ali, 35, had arranged for Syed Muhammad Bin Syed Hassan, 29, transport and deliver the bird to him, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) in a statement.

Syed Muhammad did not have the necessary licence to bring in the animal.

AVA was then alerted and the black hornbill, a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), was seized.

The bird is now under the care of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.