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Wild Animals and Birds Act

(CHAPTER 351)

(Original Enactment: Ordinance 5 of 1965)

REVISED EDITION 2000

(30th December 2000)

An Act relating to wild animals and birds.

[22nd October 1965]

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Wild Animals and Birds Act.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“authorised officer” means any person appointed under section 4(2) by the Director-General to be an authorised officer;

[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“Board” means the National Parks Board established by the repealed National Parks Act (Cap. 198A, 1991 Ed.)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]

“Director-General” means the Director-General, Wildlife Management appointed under section 4(1);

[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]

“wild animals and birds” includes all species of animals and birds of a wild nature, but does not include domestic dogs and cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, domestic pigs, poultry and ducks.

[16/2000]

Power to make orders

3. The Minister may by order —

(a)	declare the time of the year during which any wild animal or bird shall not be killed or taken;
(b)	declare the time of the year which shall be deemed to be the breeding season of any wild animal or bird;
(c)	prohibit within Singapore or any part thereof the killing or taking of any wild animal or bird;
(d)	prohibit within Singapore or any part thereof the netting, snaring or taking by means of any contrivance of any wild animal or bird;
(e)	provide for the licensing of places where wild animals and birds are kept in captivity, and the fees that shall be payable for the issue of a licence; and
(f)	provide for the control, registration and licensing of any species of wild animal or bird.

Appointment of Director-General and authorised officers

4.—(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 Management.

(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;
(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]

Penalty for killing or keeping wild animals or birds without licence

5.—(1) Any person who kills, takes or keeps any wild animal or bird, other than those specified in the Schedule, without a licence shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and to the forfeiture of the wild animal or bird.

(2) The Minister may, from time to time, by notification in the Gazette, add to, alter or amend the Schedule.

Defence of property

6.—(1) Nothing in this Act shall make it unlawful for the occupier or person in charge of any land to kill or take any wild animal or bird found damaging or destroying the crops or any other property thereon.

(2) In any prosecution under this Act, the onus of proof of the fact that any wild animal or bird was found damaging or destroying crops or other property shall be upon the person alleging the fact.

Power to issue licences

7.—(1) The Director-General or the Commissioner of Police may issue licences for the purpose of shooting or taking any wild animal or bird.

[16/2000]

(2) Any licence issued under subsection (1) shall —

(a)	state the name of the person who has been so authorised;
(b)	specify the period, which shall not exceed 3 months, during which the licence shall be valid; and
(c)	specify the place at which that person may shoot or take any animal or bird specified in the licence. [6

Penalty for certain offences

8. A person who —

(a)	kills or takes or has in his possession the body of any wild animal or bird killed or taken in contravention of an order made under section 3(a);
(b)	takes, destroys or has in his possession the eggs of any wild bird during the time of the year which has been declared under section 3(a) to be the time during which such a bird shall not be killed, or during the breeding season declared under section 3(b) in respect of such a bird;
(c)	kills or takes any wild animal or bird, the killing or taking of which is prohibited under the provisions of this Act;
(d)	nets, snares or takes by means of any contrivance any wild animal or bird which has been prohibited under section 3(d) from netting, snaring or taking by means of any contrivance; or
(e)	exposes or offers for sale or exports any wild animal or bird other than those specified in the Schedule or the skin or plumage of any such wild animal or bird, unless he can show that the animal or bird was lawfully killed or taken,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and to the forfeiture of the wild animal or bird.

Setting of spring guns, etc.

9. Any person who sets, places or prepares or causes to be set, placed or prepared any spring gun, engine, pitfall, sharpened stake or other contrivance likely to endanger human life or inflict grievous hurt, except for the purpose of destroying some noxious wild animal with the written permission of the Director-General or the Commissioner of Police, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

[16/2000]

Prohibition of importation of wild animals and birds

10.—(1) No person shall import into Singapore any wild animal or bird whether alive or dead, or any part thereof, except under a written authorisation either general or special signed by or on behalf of the Director-General and within the terms of such authorisation.

[16/2000]

(2) Nothing in subsection (1) shall be deemed to prohibit the importation into Singapore of any wild animal or bird in cold storage to be used for food where the importer can show that the animal or bird was killed outside Malaysia, Burma, Kampuchea, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam or Thailand.

[16/2000]

(3) Any person who imports or attempts to import into or exports or attempts to export from Singapore any wild animal or bird or part thereof —

(a)	without an authorisation under subsection (1); or
(b)	in contravention of the terms of such authorisation,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 in respect of each such wild animal or bird or any part thereof.

Conviction under other law

11.—(1) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to prevent the prosecution, conviction and punishment of any person according to the provisions of any other written law for the time being in force in Singapore.

(2) No person shall be punished more than once for the same offence.

[10

Power to arrest without warrant

12.—(1) Any police officer, officer of customs or authorised officer may stop and arrest without warrant any person who within his view commits an offence under this Act or any order or rule made thereunder.

[16/2000]

(2) Such person shall not be arrested if he satisfies the police officer, officer of customs or authorised officer as to his name and residence in Singapore and that he does not intend to abscond.

[11

[16/2000]

(3) Any person who, without reasonable excuse —

(a)	refuses or fails to comply with a request of a police officer, an officer of customs or an authorised officer under this section for the person’s name and residence in Singapore; or
(b)	in response to the request, gives a name that is false in a material particular, or gives an address other than the person’s full and correct residential address,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000.

[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]

(4) A police officer, an officer of customs or an authorised officer making an arrest under subsection (1) must not restrain the person arrested more than is necessary to prevent the person’s escape.

[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]

(5) A person arrested under this section may be detained until his name and address are correctly ascertained except that a person so arrested must not be detained longer than is permitted by written law and is necessary for bringing him before a court unless the order of a court for his detention is obtained.

[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]

Powers of examination

12A.—(1) For the purpose of investigating any offence under this Act, the Director-General or an authorised officer may —

(a)	examine orally any person supposed to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case; and
(b)	by written order require any person within the limits of Singapore, who appears to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case, to attend before the Director-General or authorised officer.

(2) The person mentioned in subsection (1)(a) is bound to state truly the facts and circumstances with which the person is acquainted concerning the case except only that the person may decline to make, with regard to any fact or circumstance, a statement which would have a tendency to expose the person to a criminal charge or to penalty or forfeiture.

(3) A statement made by any person examined under this section must —

(a)	be reduced to writing;
(b)	be read over to the person;
(c)	if the person does not understand English, be interpreted in a language that the person understands; and
(d)	after correction (if necessary), be signed by the person.

(4) If any person fails to attend before the Director-General or an authorised officer as required by an order under subsection (1)(b), the Director-General or authorised officer may report the failure to a Magistrate who may issue a warrant to secure the attendance of that person as required by the order.

[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]

Powers to require information about contraventions

12B.—(1) Where it appears to the Director-General or an authorised officer that there may have been a contravention of any provision of this Act, the Director-General or authorised officer may serve an information notice to require any person who appears to him to be acquainted with the circumstances of the case to furnish the Director-General or authorised officer (as the case may be), within such time as may be specified in the notice, with information relating to that case in the possession or within the knowledge of that person.

(2) An information notice under subsection (1) must be complied with by giving the required information in writing to the Director-General or authorised officer, as the case may be.

(3) Any person who fails to comply with any information notice under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000.

(4) It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (3) to prove, on a balance of probabilities, that the person did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained, the information required in the information notice.

(5) If any person —

(a)	makes any statement purporting to comply with a requirement of an information notice which the person knows to be false or misleading in a material particular; or
(b)	recklessly makes such a statement which is false or misleading in a material particular,

the person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000.

[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]

Reward to informer

13. The court may direct any fine or any portion of any fine imposed or levied under this Act to be paid to the informer.

[12

Fees, etc., payable to Board

14. All fees, charges and moneys collected under this Act or any order made thereunder (except composition sums) must be paid to the Board.

[Act 10 of 2019 wef 01/04/2019]