SINGAPORE, March 18 — A 24-year-old man has been charged in court with illegally importing more than a dozen tarantulas from the United Kingdom and keeping several of the eight-legged spiders in a Bedok North flat.

Herman Foo Yong He, who faces 39 charges under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, is also accused of keeping four geckos and a hedgehog in the flat.

He will plead guilty next week, a district court heard today.

Prosecutors from the National Parks Board are seeking a S$17,000 (RM51,498) fine.

If convicted of possessing an animal species listed in the Act, Foo could be fined up to S$50,000 for each species, jailed for up to two years, or both.

If convicted of illegally importing wild animals, he could be fined up to S$1,000 for each animal. Spiders allegedly imported by registered post Based on court documents, Foo allegedly imported the tarantulas by registered parcels on Aug 15, 2018.

• Fourteen tarantulas were seized from the Singapore Post Air Cargo Centre:
• Two skeleton tarantulas, native to several South American countries.
• Three golden blue leg baboon tarantulas — yellow-bodied and blue-legged spiders found in South Africa.
• Two burst horned baboon tarantulas, found in Southern Africa.
• Two Venezuelan suntiger tarantulas, which are endemic to Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil in South America.
• One straight horned baboon tarantula, found in Zimbabwe and Mozambique in Africa.
• One red-rump baboon tarantula, widely found in Mexico.
• One king baboon tarantula, native to East Africa.
• One "Ami sp Panama” tarantula. Ami refers to a group of tarantulas found in South and Central America.
• One "Theraphosidae sp” tarantula. Theraphosidae refers to a family of large tropical spiders.

Court documents did not state what Foo meant to do with them or whether they were found alive.

He also allegedly kept other animals in a flat along Bedok North Avenue 1:

• One fat-tailed gecko, native to West Africa.
• Three leopard geckos.
• One four-toed hedgehog.
• Two Singapore blue tarantulas.
• Three "Theraphosidae sp” tarantulas.
• One Antilles pinktoe tarantula, native to the island of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea.
• One Costa Rican zebra tarantula, also known as the striped-knee tarantula and found in Central America.
• One Guatemalan tiger rump tarantula.
• One ornamental baboon tarantula, found in several African countries.
• One Thailand golden fringe tarantula.
• One cobalt blue tarantula, native to Myanmar.
• One Chacho golden knee tarantula, found in South America.
• One Gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula, a critically endangered species found in India.
• One Mexican redleg tarantula.
• One Mexican red knee tarantula.
• One burst horned baboon tarantula. — TODAY