Authorities in Peru arrested a man after his bulging garments gave him away, along with the hundreds of tarantulas tied to his body, as he sought to flee the country.
The alleged smuggler, a 28-year-old South Korean man, was stopped by security officers at Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport on Nov. 8 because his tummy appeared unnaturally large when passing through screening, according to a news statement from Peru’s National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).
The man, who was not recognized, was ordered to open his shirt, displaying two belts ornamented with camouflaged bags and parcels holding tarantulas and other bugs, the wildlife agency stated.
The government agency’s specialists later counted the hidden insects, finding 35 adult tarantulas, 285 baby tarantulas, 110 centipedes, and nine bullet ants.
The adult tarantulas were reported as being human hand-sized and taking up a big plastic container, whilst the youngsters shared space in little tubes packed from either end to prevent their escape, as seen in images of the confiscated specimens.
All of the creatures are native to the Peruvian Amazon, and tarantulas, in particular, are listed as endangered in Peru, according to Walter Silva, a wildlife specialist at SERFOR.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, they were collected from Madre de Dios, a biodiverse region whose forests account for 12% of the Peruvian Amazon.
Silva believes the illegally removed bugs are part of a global trade in which wildlife is imported and sold at exorbitant prices, producing millions of dollars in revenue.
He also stated that smuggling situations like these become more common as Christmas approaches since illegally trafficked animals command greater prices over the holiday period.
According to the press announcement, this smuggler was on his way to Korea, with a stop in France scheduled.
The individual was arrested by Peru’s National Police, and the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the issue.
Meanwhile, the critters have been transported from their overcrowded storage facility to a secure location, according to SERFOR.
