An animal lover who felt sorry for the live fish kept in a tank at a local supermarket and brought the lot to release them in a nearby canal is facing a fine and up to six months in jail.

The unknown man, seen wearing a white shirt and black shorts, released more than 30 live fish that he had bought at a Sheng Siong supermarket located around Bukit Batok area in Singapore.

They were freed in the muddy waters of a canal in Queenstown, in the early hours of Thursday, 21st September.

Reports indicate that the man spent approximately SGD 400 (GBP 240) purchasing all the live fish, including more than 10 each of snappers, tilapia, and Nile perch.

He was then seen tipping them from a styrofoam box into the canal before repeating the action several times with other boxes.

According to reports, the footage was filmed by a 62-year-old retiree identified only by his surname Lu who was taking a stroll at the park and witnessed the scene.

He told local media he firmly believes that the man’s act will bring him blessings.

An employee at the supermarket said that the fish buyer did not disclose the purpose of buying the fish but admitted they had helped the man to take them to the river.

Many netizens expressed concern about the act of mercy release.

Netizen ‘Eversfung’ commented on Instagram: “Do you have a good mentality? Buy all freshwater fish? But I always feel that this approach will only speed up the death of these fish.”

And ‘fishbally’, called on the Singapore National Parks Board to fine him, saying, “@nparksbuzz please investigate and fine this guy. Please also educate Zaobao to include in its story that releasing animals into the wild is an illegal act. Thank you.”

According to the Singapore National Parks Board, “releasing animals that have been bred and kept in captivity harms them and our ecosystem.”

The Singapore Parks and Trees Act further states that individuals found releasing animals for the first time may face penalties of fines up to SGD 50,000 (GBP 30,000), imprisonment for a maximum of six months, or both.

To deter acts of mercy release, the National Parks Board (NParks) initiated an annual campaign named “Operation No Release” in 2006.