Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act
(CHAPTER 92A)

(Original Enactment: Act 5 of 2006)

REVISED EDITION 2008
(1st January 2008)
An Act to give effect to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora by controlling the importation, exportation, re-exportation and introduction from the sea of certain animals and plants, and parts and derivatives of such animals and plants, and for matters connected therewith.
[1st March 2006]
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Short title
1.  This Act may be cited as the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act.
Interpretation
2.—(1)  In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —
“advertise”, in relation to a scheduled species, means to describe, make reference to or allude in any way, by any means or in any form, to that scheduled species —
(a)whether directly or indirectly;
(b)whether orally, in writing in any language, diagrammatically, pictorially, by the use of symbols or photographs, or in any combination thereof; and
(c)whether by the common name or the scientific name of that scheduled species or otherwise;
“animal” means any member of the Animal Kingdom, and includes —
(a)any mammal (other than man), bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, mollusc, arthropod, or other vertebrate or invertebrate, whether alive or dead, and the egg, young or immature form thereof; and
(b)any readily recognisable part or derivative of an animal;
“authorised officer” means —
(a)any police officer;
(b)any officer of customs within the meaning of the Customs Act (Cap. 70); or
(c)any person appointed as an authorised officer by the Director-General under section 3(2);
[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]
[Deleted by Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]
“Board” means the National Parks Board established by the repealed National Parks Act (Cap. 198A, 1991 Ed.) as in force before 1 July 1996 and continued by section 3 of the National Parks Board Act (Cap. 198A);
[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]
“CITES” means the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora signed in Washington, D. C., on 3rd March 1973, and any amendment to, or substitution of, the Convention that is binding on Singapore;
“conveyance” includes any vessel, aircraft, vehicle or mode of transport;
“Director-General” means the Director-General, Wildlife Trade Control appointed under section 3(1);
[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]
“export” means to take or cause to be taken out of Singapore by land, sea or air any scheduled species other than any scheduled species in transit in Singapore, but does not include re-export;
“import” means to bring or cause to be brought into Singapore by land, sea or air any scheduled species other than any scheduled species in transit in Singapore;
“information” includes data, text, images, sound, codes, computer programmes, software and databases;
“introduction from the sea” means transportation into Singapore of any scheduled species which was taken in the marine environment not under the jurisdiction of any State;
“owner” includes any person for the time being in charge of any scheduled species and any person for the time being in occupation of any premises;
“permit” means a permit, licence, certificate or written permission issued by the Director-General under section 7(2) or deemed to be issued under section 31;
“plant” means any member of the Plant Kingdom, whether live or dead, and any readily recognisable part or derivative of a plant;
“premises” includes any house, hut, shed, structure, platform, path, bridge, open space, building or enclosure whether roofed or not;
“readily recognisable part or derivative of a plant” means any substantially complete or part or derivative of a plant, in natural form, preserved, dried or otherwise treated or prepared which may or may not be contained in preparations, and includes —
(a)seed, stem, leaf, bark, root, log, flower, fruit or pod; and
(b)any thing which is claimed by any person, or which appears from an accompanying document, the packaging, a label or mark or from any other circumstances, to contain a part or derivative of a plant;
“readily recognisable part or derivative of an animal” means any substantially complete or part or derivative of an animal, in natural form, stuffed, chilled, preserved, dried or otherwise treated or prepared which may or may not be contained in preparations, and includes —
(a)meat, bones, hide, skin, leather, tusk, horn, antler, gland, feathers, hair, teeth, claws, shell, scales and eggs; and
(b)any thing which is claimed by any person, or which appears from an accompanying document, the packaging, a label or mark or from any other circumstances, to contain a part or derivative of an animal;
“re-export” means the export of any scheduled species that has previously been imported;
“sale” or “sell” includes barter or exchange;
“sample”, in relation to a scheduled species, means the scheduled species or any part thereof;
“scheduled species” means any animal or plant (including any readily recognisable part or derivative thereof) specified in the Schedule.
(2)  For the purposes of this Act, a scheduled species shall be considered to be in transit if, and only if, it is brought into Singapore solely for the purpose of taking it out of Singapore and —
(a)it remains at all times in or on the conveyance in or on which it is brought into Singapore;
(b)it is removed from the conveyance in or on which it was brought into Singapore and either returned to the same conveyance or transferred directly to another conveyance before being despatched to a place outside Singapore, and is kept under the control of the Director-General or an authorised officer while being so removed, returned or transferred; or
(c)it is removed from the conveyance in or on which it was brought into Singapore and kept under the control of the Director-General or an authorised officer for a period not exceeding 14 days, or such longer period as the Director-General may approve, pending despatch to a place outside Singapore.
Appointment of Director-General and authorised officers
3.—(1)  The Board is responsible for the administration of this Act, and to that end, the Board must appoint an officer of the Board to be the Director-General, Wildlife Trade Control.
(2)  The Director-General may, subject to the directions of the Board, appoint any of the following persons to be an authorised officer for the purpose of assisting the Director-General in administering and carrying out the provisions of this Act or any other written law which confers powers on the Director-General:
(a)an employee of the Board;
(b)an employee of another statutory authority;
(c)a public officer who is not a police officer or an officer of customs within the meaning of the Customs Act (Cap. 70);
(d)an auxiliary police officer appointed under the Police Force Act (Cap. 235).
(3)  The Director-General may delegate the exercise of all or any of the powers conferred or duties imposed upon the Director-General by any provision of this Act or any other written law (except the power of delegation conferred by this subsection) to an authorised officer; and any reference in the provision of this Act or any other written law to the Director-General includes a reference to such an authorised officer.
(4)  Any delegation under subsection (3) may be general or in a particular case and may be subject to such conditions or limitations as set out in this Act or as the Board may specify.
(5)  The Director-General may, for any reason that appears to him to be sufficient, at any time revoke a person’s appointment as an authorised officer.
(6)  A person mentioned in subsection (2)(d) who is appointed as an authorised officer does not, by virtue only of the appointment, become an employee or agent of the Board.
[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]