INTERNATIONAL: Colombian authorities seized over 140 tarantulas being smuggled to Mexico City via Bogota's International Airport, officials said on Thursday 31st March.

The confiscation was made thanks to a tip call from a parcel company, which reported the presence of foreign objects at the time of reviewing the cargo terminal scanners.

Officials from the Environment Ministry and the National Police determined that 143 arachnids of the Mygalomorphae suborder were placed in plastic bags camouflaged inside a chessboard, impeding adequate ventilation.

“The National Police, in co-ordination with the Environment Ministry of the republic, carried out an important confiscation at the El Dorado International Airport. 131 tarantulas were alive, while 12 were dead,” said John Alzate, Commander of the Board of Protection and Special Services.

The parcel did not comply with the environmental permits, licenses, or safe conduct that would protect its use, mobilization, or commercialization. Environmental and police authorities started investigations to determine responsibility and will initiate the respective sanctioning processes.

The animals were transferred to the Centre for Care, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Wild Flora and Fauna, where professionals from the Ministry of the Environment will carry out the necessary medical, nutritional and biological care to stabilize them. The officials will later decide whether to free or relocate them.

Traffickers in wildlife are attracted to Colombia because it is one of the world's 17 mega-diverse countries, home to tens of thousands of species.