Peruvian police stopped a 28-year-old South Korean at Jorge Chávez airport due to a suspicious bulge near his abdomen. Under his shirt, they found two bands wrapped around his torso, and within the bands they discovered 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes, and 9 bullet ants.
It reminds me of the Obvious Plant toy from a few years ago.
You'll be happy to learn that the various bugs were all in plastic containers and Ziplock bags taped to the man's body.
Walter Silva, a wildlife specialist at SERFOR, said 'all were extracted illegally and are part of the illegal wildlife trafficking that generates millions of dollars worldwide.'
He also explained that smuggling cases like these become more prevalent as Christmas nears, as illegally trafficked critters tend to fetch higher prices during the holiday season.
Where do you find these spiders for sale? On the web?
Sorry, I had to do it!
The agency believes the bugs were taken from the Madre de Dios reserve, a biodiverse area of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.
On one hand, it's terrible what this guy was trying to do; on the other, one must credit the man for his bravery, especially when it came to the bullet ants.
These insects have the most painful sting on the planet according to Schmidt's pain index.
Schmidt described the sting as 'pure, intense, brilliant pain...like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel.'
And it lasts for 12 hours.
Can you imagine what nine of them would have done to this poor schmuck if they'd escaped?
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