The Colombian authorities they have Requires hundreds of wild spiders and other insectsPreventing illegal smuggling to Europe.
According to the statements of the environmental authorities in BogotaNileEl Dorado AirportAt least, the capital has been confiscated 232 tarantulas, 67 cockroaches, 9 spider eggs and a scorpion with seven small scorpions.
As for the smugglers It’s about German citizens; After confiscating the insects that were in their possession They got caught At the airport on Thursday. The animals were crammed into plastic containers hidden inside a suitcase.
The offender tried to defend himself by advertising They were carrying that cargo for “Academic Reasons”. According to the “Independent” report, the authorities did not believe the excuse, recalling that They did not have a permit to transport animals outside Colombian territory.
Thus the smugglers were caught and I am now waiting for the trial.
In a video posted on the web, authorities were seen opening plastic boxes to check their contents. This is not a video for the faint of heart! They see themselves as different Tarantulas of various types and sizes, a walking cockroach on the hand of an officer.
The Minister of Environment of Bogotá, Carolina Urrutia He commented on the case saying that even if wild animals were used in scientific research, You must have a permit issued by the relevant authorities, to be able to cross the nation’s borders legally.
Smuggling is not only insects but sharks are also targeted: chilling numbers
He continued, “We haven’t had such a big tarantula from 2018 onwards Larger that we found This year it was shark fin“.
The case affected Jamal Ben 3493 shark fins, Acquired in Colombia and shipped to Hong Kong. The illegal trade in animal parts was thwarted in September this year.
It is calculated that such a large number of fins were subtracted from a number between 900 and 1000 samples of sharks.
According to official data, 11,000 samples were stolen in the last year alone.
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