S’porean man, 24, amputated rat’s leg & sold animals illegally, gets 15 months’ probation

A 24-year-old Singaporean man was ordered to undergo 15 months’ probation after he amputated a pet rat's limb without anaesthesia and sold wildlife online illegally.

Jenson Neo faced 13 charges under the Animals and Birds Act and pleaded guilty to five of them on Jul. 7.

The remaining charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Rat

In court documents seen by Mothership, Neo had a white pet rat that injured its front right leg.

He believed the injured leg looked gangrenous

On Jul. 9, 2022, he decided to amputate the rat’s limb himself instead of seeking medical attention for it.

Neo was not a qualified veterinarian.

Before the procedure, he applied numbing cream to the rat's leg, which was insufficient in alleviating any pain.

Neo proceeded without the necessary anaesthesia and analgesia required during surgical operations on animals.

Sale

On Jan. 26, 2024, Neo took a common palm civet he found somewhere in Jalan Dermawan near his home.

He illegally kept the animal as a pet for about a month.

On Feb. 22, 2024, he posted an advertisement to sell the civet for S$500 in a Telegram group chat.

Neo felt the pricing was reasonable, as the typical market price for cats and dogs was about four times that amount.

Enforcement officers from the National Parks Board (NParks) posed as buyers and contacted him.

They eventually agreed on a price of S$580, which included a cage for the animal.

They agreed to meet up for the transaction the next day, on Feb. 23, 2024, at about 7:30pm.

Evade

On the day of the transaction, Neo arrived at a playground in Lorong Kemunchup at about 7:55pm.

After he completed the sale, several NParks enforcement officers, who had been undercover, identified themselves and instructed him to put the cage down.

Neo then attempted to open the cage to release the civet and evade arrest.

A short violent struggle ensued.

Neo was subsequently subdued and arrested.

Taking wildlife and other sales

Investigations revealed that Neo had taken and sold wildlife illegally on separate occasions before his arrest.

On Jan. 13, 2022, he took two mangrove snakes from an unknown location

On Jul. 7, 2023, Neo offered for sale on Telegram a bird belonging to the Falconiformes order, a protected wildlife species.

On Jul. 11, 2023, he kept a red-tailed boa in his home.

On Aug. 11, 2023, Neo offered a Malayan box turtle for sale on Telegram.

On Sep. 9, 2023, he sold a sugar glider to an individual identified as “Lisa” for S$50.

On Oct. 3, 2023, at some time between 10:34pm and 10:47pm, Neo took a colugo or flying lemur from Dairy Farm Nature Park.

Between Jan. 19 and 28, 2024, Neo sold a corn snake to an individual identified as "Lionel Ng" for S$250.

Psychiatric assessment

Alongside probation, Neo was ordered to perform 70 hours of community service.

He is to undergo psychiatric assessments and follow-up sessions that address impulse control and manage his compulsive responses to animals.

His parents were also ordered to execute a S$5,000 bond to ensure Neo’s good behaviour during probation.