CHENNAI: Customs officials at Chennai international airport found 107 live spiders in a postal parcel that came from Poland, said a release on Friday.
Based on information , Chennai Air Customs intercepted a postal parcel that arrived from Poland at the Foreign Post Office. The parcel was addressed to a person in Arupukotai (Tamil Nadu). When it was cut open, the parcel had a thermocol box in which 107 small plastic vials wrapped in silver foil and cotton were found. On examination, live spiders were found inside each vial.
Wild Life Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials and scientists of Zoological Survey of India (SRC) were called to identify the species. Based on morphological examination, they suspected the spiders to be of genus phonopelma and brachypelma which are CITES-listed tarantulas, native of South, Central America and Mexico.
Animal quarantine officials recommended deporting the parcel containing the spiders to the country of origin as the said import is illegal as there were no DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) licence and health-related documents of import into India.
Based on information , Chennai Air Customs intercepted a postal parcel that arrived from Poland at the Foreign Post Office. The parcel was addressed to a person in Arupukotai (Tamil Nadu). When it was cut open, the parcel had a thermocol box in which 107 small plastic vials wrapped in silver foil and cotton were found. On examination, live spiders were found inside each vial.
Wild Life Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials and scientists of Zoological Survey of India (SRC) were called to identify the species. Based on morphological examination, they suspected the spiders to be of genus phonopelma and brachypelma which are CITES-listed tarantulas, native of South, Central America and Mexico.
Animal quarantine officials recommended deporting the parcel containing the spiders to the country of origin as the said import is illegal as there were no DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) licence and health-related documents of import into India.
Vials containing spiders
The spiders were seized under the Customs Act 1962 read with the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992. The parcel containing the spiders were handed over to postal authorities to deport to Poland, the country of origin.
Further investigations were under progress, the release said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/107-spiders-from-poland-seized-in-chennai/articleshow/84066732.cms
