Authorities in Peru detained a guy after his bulging clothes gave him away, along with the hundreds of tarantulas tied to his body, as he sought to flee the country.
Security authorities at Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport stopped the alleged smuggler, a 28-year-old South Korean male, on Nov. 8 because his tummy appeared abnormally large when passing through security, according to a news statement from Peru’s National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).
The unidentified man was requested to uncover his shirt, displaying two belts covered with camouflaged bags and parcels holding tarantulas and other bugs, according to the Wildlife Service.
The government agency later counted the hidden creatures, finding 35 adult tarantulas, 285 baby tarantulas, 110 centipedes, and nine bullet ants.
The adult tarantulas were described as being the size of a human hand and took up a big plastic container, whilst the youngsters shared space in little tubes that were stuffed from either end to prevent their escape, as shown in images of confiscated specimens.
The creatures are all native to the Peruvian Amazon, and the 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 zone whose forests cover 12% of Peru’s Amazon.
Silva believes the illegally removed bugs are part of a global trade in which wildlife is transported and sold at exorbitant prices, resulting in millions of dollars.
He further noted that smuggling situations like these become more common as Christmas approaches, as illegally trafficked animals command greater prices throughout the holiday season.
According to the press announcement, this smuggler was on his way to Korea and had planned a stop in France.
Peru’s National Police apprehended the individual, and the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office launched an inquiry.
Meanwhile, the critters have been relocated from their congested storage facilities to a secure location, according to SERFOR.