Chiayi: An aquarium owner has been sentenced to nine months in prison by the Chiayi District Court for illegally importing protected wild animals, including a king cobra, into Taiwan via express shipping four years ago.

According to Focus Taiwan, the court handed down the jail term on Tuesday to a man identified by his surname, Su, who ordered one king cobra and six Asian water monitors, large lizards, to be shipped via FedEx from Jakarta to Taiwan on February 24, 2021. The shipment was falsely declared as “snacks” by the sender, as per court documents.

Two days after the package was sent, Su used the EZ Way app, a real-name authentication platform for consignees, to complete an import registration form. He authorized FedEx to handle the customs declaration process at Taipei Customs. Upon inspection, customs officials discovered live wild animals in the package and promptly alerted the authorities.

The case was forwarded to the Chiayi District Prosecutors Office for further investigation, as Su resides in the southern Taiwanese county. In his defense, Su claimed he was unaware of the package’s content, arguing that he frequently received packages due to his aquarium business.

The court, however, dismissed Su’s claims, pointing out that he would not have casually signed off on a package without knowing its contents. Furthermore, the court noted that he had no reason to download the EZ Way app and complete the import form unless he was aware of the package’s nature. The consignee information also matched his personal details.

The king cobra and Asian water monitors are classified by Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture as protected wildlife species and are regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The court found Su guilty of violating the Act on Wildlife Conservation and sentenced him to nine months in prison. However, the ruling is open to appeal.