A Brazilian lady was apprehended by Colombian officials when they discovered 130 toxic frogs (Oophaga histrionica) concealed in film canisters within her luggage on Monday. The woman was en route from Panama to Sao Paulo when the frogs were discovered.
She “claimed that a local community had given them as a gift,” Bogota Environment Secretary Adriana Soto said in a video shared with media.
Small and poisonous, harlequin frogs inhabit wet woodlands in South and Central American nations along the Pacific coast between Ecuador and Colombia.
“This endangered species is sought after in international markets,” said Juan Carlos Arevalo, Commander of the Bogota Police Department, adding that private collectors might be willing to spend as much as $1,000 per specimen.
The lady was reportedly taken into custody by the police “for the crime of wildlife tracking” after which she was turned over to the prosecutor’s office, according to the police report.
Colombia is one of the world’s most biologically diverse nations, but unfortunately, it is also one of the most trafficked for its amphibians, small mammals, and marine animal parts, including sharks.
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