Korean man caught in Peru airport carrying 320 tarantulas

A 28-year-old Korean man was apprehended at Jorge Chavez International Airport near Lima during an apparent attempt to smuggle out hundreds of arthropods, including 320 tarantulas, on Nov. 8.

According to Peru’s nature protection agency, the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), the man was carrying 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants, some of which were protected species.

All of the creatures were native species of the Peruvian Amazon and were confirmed to have been caught illegally, according to SERFOR.

At the time of his arrest, the man was attempting to board a flight to Paris, from where he planned to fly to Korea. Bringing venomous animals into Korea is allowed only for research purposes.

The man was stopped by airport staff who noticed the unusual shape of his body and found the animals strapped around his body in plastic bags and bottles.

The number of trafficking cases of such “exotic pets” tends to increase around the end of the year, when people seek presents for Christmas and New Year, the agency said.