Act of Parliament · 2020 Revised Edition
Wildlife Act 1965
Feedback & supportProtecting and managing wildlife for ecosystem health and safetyOfficial textFrom Singapore Statutes Online, unchanged
s 1Short title
This Act is the Wildlife Act 1965.
s 2Interpretation
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —“animal” includes any mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish or invertebrate, whether of a wild nature or otherwise;“animal-related business” means —
the operation of any place or establishment for the purpose of —
using or holding animals for display, sport, entertainment, sale, breeding or conservation; or
the care, boarding, grooming, treatment, vaccination, inoculation, training or destruction of animals, for reward;
the provision of any service relating to the care, boarding, grooming, treatment, vaccination, inoculation, training, transportation, capture or destruction of animals, for reward; or
the operation of any animal rescue or welfare organisation or facility,but does not include any business in respect of animals intended for consumption;“authorised officer” means any person appointed under section 4(2) by the Director‑General to be an authorised officer;“Board” means the National Parks Board established by the repealed National Parks Act (Cap. 198A, 1991 Revised Edition) as in force before 1 July 1996 and continued by section 3 of the National Parks Board Act 1996;“conveyance” includes any vehicle, vessel, train, aircraft or other mode of transport;“Director-General” means the Director‑General, Wildlife Management appointed under section 4(1);“enforcement officer” means an authorised officer, a police officer or an officer of customs;“limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;“officer of customs” has the meaning given by the Customs Act 1960;“owner” includes any person for the time being in charge of any wildlife (whether alive or dead), part of a wildlife, article, conveyance or other thing, and any person for the time being in occupation of any building;“place” means any public or private place and includes —
any land, whether built on or not;
any body of water; and
any area, whether or not enclosed, and whether above‑ground, underground or underwater;“police officer” means a member of the Police Force or a special police officer, as defined in the Police Force Act 2004;“protected wildlife” means a wildlife that belongs to a protected wildlife species;“protected wildlife species” means a wildlife species prescribed as a protected wildlife species for the purposes of this Act;“reward” means any payment or other benefit (whether monetary or otherwise);“seized item” means any wildlife (whether dead or alive), part of a wildlife, article, conveyance or other thing seized by an enforcement officer under this Act;“wildlife” means an animal that belongs to a wildlife species, and includes the young or egg of the animal;“wildlife species” means any species of animals of a wild nature, but excludes domestic dogs and cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, domestic pigs and poultry.
“animal” includes any mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish or invertebrate, whether of a wild nature or otherwise;
“animal-related business” means —
the operation of any place or establishment for the purpose of —
using or holding animals for display, sport, entertainment, sale, breeding or conservation; or
the care, boarding, grooming, treatment, vaccination, inoculation, training or destruction of animals, for reward;
the provision of any service relating to the care, boarding, grooming, treatment, vaccination, inoculation, training, transportation, capture or destruction of animals, for reward; or
the operation of any animal rescue or welfare organisation or facility,but does not include any business in respect of animals intended for consumption;
“authorised officer” means any person appointed under section 4(2) by the Director‑General to be an authorised officer;
“Board” means the National Parks Board established by the repealed National Parks Act (Cap. 198A, 1991 Revised Edition) as in force before 1 July 1996 and continued by section 3 of the National Parks Board Act 1996;
“conveyance” includes any vehicle, vessel, train, aircraft or other mode of transport;
“Director-General” means the Director‑General, Wildlife Management appointed under section 4(1);
“enforcement officer” means an authorised officer, a police officer or an officer of customs;
“limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;
“officer of customs” has the meaning given by the Customs Act 1960;
“owner” includes any person for the time being in charge of any wildlife (whether alive or dead), part of a wildlife, article, conveyance or other thing, and any person for the time being in occupation of any building;
“place” means any public or private place and includes —
any land, whether built on or not;
any body of water; and
any area, whether or not enclosed, and whether above‑ground, underground or underwater;
“police officer” means a member of the Police Force or a special police officer, as defined in the Police Force Act 2004;
“protected wildlife” means a wildlife that belongs to a protected wildlife species;
“protected wildlife species” means a wildlife species prescribed as a protected wildlife species for the purposes of this Act;
“reward” means any payment or other benefit (whether monetary or otherwise);
“seized item” means any wildlife (whether dead or alive), part of a wildlife, article, conveyance or other thing seized by an enforcement officer under this Act;
“wildlife” means an animal that belongs to a wildlife species, and includes the young or egg of the animal;
“wildlife species” means any species of animals of a wild nature, but excludes domestic dogs and cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, domestic pigs and poultry.
To avoid doubt, nothing in this Act affects or limits the operation of the following written laws:
the Animals and Birds Act 1965;
the Building (Strata Management) Act 2004;
the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act 2009;
the Control of Vectors and Pesticides Act 1998;
the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 2006;
the Environmental Public Health Act 1987;
the Executive Condominium Housing Scheme Act 1996;
the Fisheries Act 1966;
the Housing and Development Act 1959;
the Infectious Diseases Act 1976;
the Jurong Town Corporation Act 1968;
the Parks and Trees Act 2005;
the Public Utilities Act 2001;
the Sentosa Development Corporation Act 1972.
To also avoid doubt, nothing in this Act affects a police officer’s powers or duties under the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 or any other written law.
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.
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:
an employee of the Board;
an employee of another statutory authority;
a public officer;
an auxiliary police officer appointed under the Police Force Act 2004.
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.
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.
The Director-General may, for any reason that appears to the Director‑General to be sufficient, at any time revoke a person’s appointment as an authorised officer.
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.
s 4AAuthorised officers are public servants and public officers
Without affecting sections 20 and 21 of the Public Sector (Governance) Act 2018, an authorised officer —
is taken to be a public servant for the purposes of the Penal Code 1871 when performing a function or exercising a power under this Act; and
is, in relation to the administration, assessment, collection or enforcement of payment of a composition sum under this Act, taken to be a public officer for the purposes of the Financial Procedure Act 1966; and section 20 of that Act applies to the authorised officer even though the authorised officer is not or was not in the employment of the Government.
The Director-General may give a written approval under this Act —
generally, or to a particular person or a particular class of persons;
subject to any condition the Director‑General thinks fit; and
in any form or manner the Director‑General thinks fit (including by publishing the written approval and the conditions of the approval on the Board’s official website).
In this section, “official website”, for the Board, means the Board’s official website at https://www.nparks.gov.sg or any other website prescribed as the Board’s official website for the purposes of this section.
A person must not intentionally feed any wildlife in any place unless the person has the Director‑General’s written approval to do so.
A person who has the Director-General’s written approval mentioned in subsection (1) must comply with the conditions of the approval.
A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction —
to a fine not exceeding $10,000; and
in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
A person must not intentionally release any wildlife in any place unless the person has the Director‑General’s written approval to do so.
A person who has the Director‑General’s written approval mentioned in subsection (1) must comply with the conditions of the approval.
A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000.
A person must not intentionally kill, trap, take or keep any wildlife in any place unless the person has the Director‑General’s written approval to do so.
A person who has the Director‑General’s written approval mentioned in subsection (1) must comply with the conditions of the approval.
A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction —
in the case where the offence is committed in respect of a protected wildlife, to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both; and
in any other case —
where the person commits the offence in the course of carrying on, or employment or purported employment with, an animal‑related business, to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both; and
in any other case —
to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both; and
in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
Nothing in this Act makes it unlawful for the occupier or person in charge of any land to kill, trap or take any wildlife found damaging or destroying the crops or any other property on the land.
In any prosecution under this Act, the onus of proof of the fact that any wildlife was found damaging or destroying crops or other property is upon the person alleging the fact.
A person must not, for the purpose of killing, trapping or taking any wildlife, set, place or prepare in any place any spring gun, engine, pitfall, sharpened stake, snare trap or other device which is likely to endanger human life, or cause grievous hurt to any individual, unless the person has the Director‑General’s written approval to do so.
A person who has the Director‑General’s written approval mentioned in subsection (1) must comply with the conditions of the approval.
A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
In this section, “snare trap” means any type of trap which uses a noose to ensnare a wildlife or is activated by a trigger to entrap the wildlife.
A person must not offer for sale, sell or export any wildlife (whether alive or dead), or any part of a wildlife, unless the person has the Director‑General’s written approval to do so.
A person who has the Director‑General’s written approval mentioned in subsection (1) must comply with the conditions of the approval.
A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction —
in the case where the offence is committed in respect of a protected wildlife, to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both; and
in any other case, to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
A person must not import into Singapore any living wildlife unless the person has the Director‑General’s written approval to do so.
A person who has the Director‑General’s written approval mentioned in subsection (1) must comply with the conditions of the approval.
A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
The Director-General may direct a person to implement, in respect of any development or works being carried out, or to be carried out, by or on behalf of the person, any wildlife‑related measure that the Director‑General considers necessary to safeguard —
the health, welfare or safety of any wildlife or class of wildlife;
public health or safety in relation to wildlife; or
the health of the ecosystem.
A direction under subsection (1) in respect of any development or works —
must be in writing; and
may be given at any time before the commencement or completion of the development or works.
A person who receives a direction under subsection (1) must comply with that direction.
A person who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes subsection (3) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
In this section, “development or works” includes —
the erection, construction, alteration, repair or maintenance of any building, structure, road or path;
the breaking up or opening of, or the boring under, any road, land or other place in connection with the construction, inspection, maintenance or removal of any works;
piling, demolition, land clearance or dredging works; and
any other works of engineering construction.
An authorised officer may, after giving reasonable written notice to the owner or occupier of any place, enter the place at a reasonable time to —
inspect the place for any unattended or unauthorised wildlife trap; or
remove or dismantle any unattended or unauthorised wildlife trap in the place.
An authorised officer may —
subject to subsection (1), without notice to any person, remove or dismantle any unattended or unauthorised wildlife trap in any place; and
without notice to any person, dispose of the unattended or unauthorised wildlife trap in any manner the authorised officer thinks fit.
No compensation is payable to anyone for any wildlife trap removed, dismantled or disposed of under this section.
Nothing in this section makes it obligatory for an authorised officer to inspect any place for, or remove or dismantle, any unattended or unauthorised wildlife trap.
A reference in this section to an unauthorised wildlife trap is a reference to a wildlife trap that is set, placed or prepared in any place in contravention of section 5C(1) or 7(1).
In this section, “wildlife trap” means a trap set, placed or prepared in any place for the purpose of killing, trapping or taking any wildlife.
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.
A person must not be punished more than once for the same offence.