Seized snake skins go under the hammer

The 25,000 illegally-imported pieces are part of Agri-food and Veterinary Authority's impounded animal skins

By Manasi Rajagopalan

 A HUGE haul of 25,000 pieces of illegally-imported snake skins found hidden in a warehouse here is being auctioned off today.

Interested buyers turned up at the Veterinary Research and Training Institute to inspect the snake skins which wil be auctioned off by the AVA. -- JAMES HODSON

The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has seized 87,281 pieces and 330 kg of illegally-imported animal skins in the past four years.

The most popular skins among smugglers seem to be those of the common rat snake, or the Ptyas Mucosus. These account for 65,691 pieces - nearly 75 per cent - of the animal skins confiscated by the AVA.

The remaining 21,590 skins are from crocodiles, the diamond python, blood python and monitor lizards.

The pieces were on show yesterday at the Veterinary Research and Training Institute in Sembawang.

Customs officials made the haul in November last year when they caught a man from India carrying 691 pieces of snake skin into Pasir Panjang port.

The man then led the officials to a warehouse in the area where they found another 25,000 pieces.

The company that had imported the skins was prosecuted and fined $5,000 for not having a valid permit. Only the skins found in the warehouse are being offered for auction and the rest have been incinerated.

An AVA spokesman said only skins belonging to non-critically endangered species, those in good condition, and those of substantial quantity, were being put up for auction.

The AVA has held two auctions previously - in 1997 and in 1999. Both included large quantities of snake skins which were generally sold to skin traders.

Ideal Traders' Tommy Chua, 54, hopes to buy some $3,000 worth of the skins at today's auction and sell them for a profit to buyers in Hongkong and China.

The last time he bought snake skins was 10 years ago. The market for these goods was better then, he said.

A spokesman for VictorMorris, the official auctioneer for the AVA, said the 1999 auction had seen about 10 traders. Each piece had been worth around $2 then.

The skins are used mainly for luxury goods such as bags, belts and shoes, he added.

The price, however, depends on the length of the snake. For example, the average length of the rat snake is between 1.8 m and 2.4 m.

The banded rat snake is classified under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora as a species that may become endangered if trade is not regulated.

Anyone caught with unauthorised specimens can be prosecuted and fined between $5,000 and $10,000 for repeat offences, or jailed for up to one year.