And you thought the idea of snakes on a plane was terrifying…
A man was arrested at the Cayenne-Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana last month for attempting to smuggle almost 100 tarantulas in his luggage!
According to Travel Pulse, the Polish man, who was headed to Paris, was cuffed after officials discovered he was carrying 38 adult spiders, 50 spiderlings, and “dozens of egg-filled cocoons” (!!!) inside plastic bottles hidden inside his suitcase.
He was taken into custody on August 25, where he reportedly told officers he is simply “passionate about insects.”
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Well, he was certainly in the right place! The region where he was flying out of, located on the northeastern coast of South America, is home to 515 different species of arachnids.
Although transporting live tarantulas is legal, it’s regulated by the French wildlife protection agency ONCFS — and unfortunately for the traveling tarantulaphile, some species of these eight-legged creatures are protected.
Officers likely had a hard time buying the spider smuggler’s story, seeing as there has reportedly been a significant spike in the black market for tarantulas over the past few years. According to National Geographic, some are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the hairy crawlies.
Conservation biologist Sergio Henriques explained to the outlet:
“Smuggling is rampant—it’s widespread globally.”
For this reason, many countries outlaw or require special permits to export or capture tarantulas. Of course, this doesn’t stop illegal trade — which has surged due to the recent high demand of the spiders.
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In August of 2018, more than $40,000 worth of tarantulas, insects, and other creepy crawlies were stolen from the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion in a suspected attempt to sell them into the dark pet trade. Earlier that month, a man in Singapore was fined $12,800 for illegally keeping 92 tarantulas in his home and trying to smuggle six more from Malaysia by stuffing them in plastic containers in the back seat of his car.
This practice doesn’t always end well for the tarantulas. The spiders smuggled out are sold to breeders or collectors, who reportedly may kill the creatures to mount in display boxes or make key chains, paperweights, and other items.
So, yeah, a suitcase full of 100 spiders is unsettling for a few reasons!
What are YOUR thoughts on tarantulas, Perezcious readers? Do they get a bad rap? Are they cute or terrifying? Sound off in the comments!
[Image via BBC Earth/YouTube]
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