Francesca Capozzi Large-scale wildlife trafficking busted in Peru. A passenger was about to illegally trade over 300 tarantulas from the Peruvian Amazon, but airport workers stopped him. The authorities arrested the smuggler and seized his cargo
@SERFOR
Routine security check revealed shocking case of wildlife trafficking: An unimaginable discovery unfolded at Peru’s Jorge Chávez International Airport, where a passenger was caught trying to leave the country with hundreds of tarantulas and other exotic animals. The airport security foiled the attempt of the wildlife smuggler and exposed the shocking operation.
It happened just days ago, says Peru’s National Forest and Wildlife Service, known as SERFOR. In cooperation with the customs and Peru’s national police, SERFOR detained a 28-year-old Korean man trying to smuggle the animals out of the country.
320 tarantulas, 110 millipedes, and 9 bullet ants strapped to his body
Concealed on his person was an astonishing cargo: 320 tarantulas, 110 millipedes, and 9 bullet ants, all carefully sealed within small plastic bags and containers that were taped directly to his body in some desperate attempt to avoid detection.
@SERFOR
Confiscated in the raid were 35 adult species of tarantulas of the Paphobeteus antinous, a variety known to grow to the size of a human hand. The man was scheduled to board a flight to South Korea via France but drew suspicion from airport security with an unusually swollen midsection.
It was only when the security officers asked the man to lift his shirt that the horrifying discovery was made. Peru’s Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, FEMA, has since launched an investigation, and the wildlife smuggler has been arrested.
@SERFOR
Wildlife at risk: Peru’s Amazon and global biodiversity under threat
The rescued animals are in the custody of Peruvian authorities. According to Walter Silva, a wildlife specialist at SERFOR, the animals were sourced from Peru’s Amazon rainforest. Many of the tarantulas are listed as threatened species in Peru.
These animals were likely bound for private collectors or exotic pet markets, part of an illegal trade that, as Silva noted, generates “millions of dollars worldwide.” Despite strengthened enforcement measures, the illegal wildlife trade continues to pose a severe threat to global biodiversity.
A rise in illegal trafficking around the holidays
Unfortunately, such incidents do not happen in isolation. Authorities have become accustomed to a rise in species trafficking during the holiday periods, a fact this case tragically confirms. Cases like this reflect the increased and continued battle against international wildlife smuggling.
Source: SERFOR
