Get you up to speed: Smuggler caught trafficking ‘150 venomous scorpions’ at Cape Town airport | News World
A 28-year-old man was arrested at Cape Town International Airport for attempting to smuggle 150 live scorpions out of South Africa. The scorpions were discovered hidden in his luggage, and he faces charges under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act.
Customs officials intercepted a 28-year-old man at Cape Town International Airport on Friday, leading to his arrest under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act after discovering 150 live scorpions concealed in his luggage. The suspect is due to appear in court on Monday, while the value of the seized scorpions remains undetermined.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested at Cape Town International Airport under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act after attempting to smuggle 150 live scorpions. The suspect is expected to appear in court on Monday, while authorities have highlighted ongoing concerns regarding wildlife trafficking in South Africa.
What remains unclear — The value of the seized scorpions has yet to be determined by authorities.
Man arrested for attempting to smuggle 150 venomous scorpions at Cape Town airport
150 individually wrapped scorpions discovered by customs (Picture: South African Police)
There was a sting in the tail for one would-be smuggler who was caught trying to sneak 150 live scorpions out of South Africa.
A 28-year-old man was arrested after an intelligence operation circulated his description before he was intercepted by officers at Cape Town International Airport on Friday.
His luggage was searched and 150 ‘live and venomous scorpions’ were discovered stashed between his folded clothes.
He was arrested under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act, after allegedly being in possession of a wild animal.
Police said the value of the scorpions is yet to be determined.
The man was allegedly trying to get through airport security in Cape Town (Picture: Getty Images)
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The deadly critters were transported to a ‘haven for safe keeping’, police said.
‘He was arrested under the Nature and Environmental Ordinance Act, being in possession of a wild animal,’ police said in a statement, without naming the man.
Wildlife trafficking remains a major threat in South Africa, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries.
Criminal networks target iconic species like rhinoceroses and elephants, but also lesser-known creatures like pangolins and reptiles, fueling a lucrative global black market.
The suspect is expected to appear in court on Monday.
It came after an escaped scorpion stung a woman at Logan Airport in Boston while she was getting luggage in the baggage claim area.
Reconstruction of Praearcturus gigas, which once roamed the UK (Picture: Franz Anthony/Natural History Museum/Cover Images)
At least the creatures weren’t the 1m long Praearcturus gigas equipped with pincers more than 16cm long which were revealed to have roamed Britain 415million years ago.
The findings by the Natural History Museum and The University of Manchester, published in the journal Palaeontology, were made possible by studying fossils housed in the museum’s collections for more than 150 years.
Researchers used modern analytical techniques and comparisons with newly described fossil species to conclude that Praearcturus was a distinct species of scorpion.
Dr Richard J. Howard, Curator of Fossil Arthropods at the Natural History Museum in London and lead author of the study, said: ‘When we think of giant arthropods, people often picture Carboniferous rainforests with giant millipedes or dragonfly-like insects from later in Earth’s history. But Praearcturus lived at least 50 million years earlier, well before the evolution of trees, when life on land was only just getting started.
‘Confirming that this animal is a scorpion fundamentally changes our understanding of how and when these creatures evolved to such extraordinary sizes.’
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