Singapore: OK to keep pet shark without a licence?

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TODAY

 

23 February 2006

 

 

 

OK to keep pet shark without a licence?

 

By Vinita Ramani

 

 

 

THIS " pet " has been the pride of Parc Palais condominium on Hume Avenue for five

years, but an issue has suddenly arisen over whether the residents can keep it.

 

 

 

In a tank alongside the condo's swimming pool is not one of your run-of-the-mill

fish, but a 1.7m-long sand-coloured nurse shark.

 

 

 

And keeping it company are two black-tip reef sharks, which can grow up to 1m in

length.

 

 

 

It may have been seen as an exotic touch when the estate's management decided to

purchase the nurse shark, but it has since become a point of concern for the

management council and residents.

 

 

 

Nurse sharks can grow up to 4m long.

 

 

 

The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) visited the premises

yesterday and the management corporation said it was told it did not have to

have a permit to own the shark.

 

 

 

Even so, resident Ng Yin Tong said: " A few years ago, the management gave us a

flyer to find out if we thought it was okay for them to give the shark to

Sentosa's Underwater World. But nothing happened after that. "

 

 

 

According to Underwater World's assistant curator Wah Yap Hon, the aquarium was

" willing to take the chance to try to save the shark, because we could see the

tank was too small for it. But we never heard from Parc Palais to fix a date for

the transfer " .

 

 

 

In the meantime, the caretaker of Underwater World comes in daily to feed the

shark.

 

 

 

" There's only a small hole from which to get to it, so it will get injured if

they decide to move it and there's a strong chance it will die. So I try to keep

it well-fed and happy, " he said.

 

 

 

The question is whether the condo can legally keep the shark since the Wild

Animal and Birds Act specifies that, apart from six species of birds, you cannot

keep " any wild animal or bird " without a licence.

 

 

 

" Normally, you do not need a licence to keep fish. But if you keep unusual fish

which affects its welfare or is a danger to the public, we will investigate it, "

said Mr Goh Shih Young of the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).

 

..

 

To this, Ms Amy Corrigan, Acres' director of zoology, responded: " We're

confused, since the AVA seems to be suggesting that you need a licence to own a

dog, but you don't need one to own a 2m-long nurse shark. "