(Reuters) -
Colombian authorities reported on Friday that they seized a shipment of 3,493 shark fins that were to be illegally trafficked to Hong Kong from the Bogota airport.
Bogota environmental authorities said the number of fins meant that they killed between 900 and 1,000 sharks between 1 and 5 meters long.
Sharks have evolved over millions of years as top predators, but they are no match for humans
In some countries, shark fins are sold as beneficial to health.
The shipment, packed in 10 packages and the product of illegal fishing, came from the municipality of Roldanillo, in southwestern Colombia, said Bogotá's environment secretary.
"The shipping company was the one that initially alerted the environmental authorities and the police," said Secretary Carolina Urrutia.
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"The police are taking samples to find out exactly what species they are, but we know that there are more than three species of sharks that exist in Colombian waters."
The national police will be in charge of the investigation, he added, and asked the shipping and transportation company for all the information about the sender and the final destination of the shipment.
