The Bogotá Police arrested a Brazilian citizen at the
El Dorado airport
for transporting a suitcase with
130 plastic jars
containing
endangered species of poisonous frogs
, the Oophaga Histrionica.
According to the Colombian Immigration Service, they were camouflaged in sample containers that
did not have sufficient ventilation
.
Now, the frustrated passenger is accused of "
wildlife trafficking
."
The 37-year-old woman, who was traveling to São Paulo, Brazil, was going to make a stopover
in Panama
,
where it is being investigated that she intended to sell them
.
"The 130 frogs of the species known as '
Harlequin Poison Frog
' were seized at the airport when the woman tried to board," reported the operational commander of the institution in the Colombian capital, Juan Carlos Arévalo.
Authorities confirmed that the Brazilian suspect said the frogs were "
a gift received
by the ethnic communities of Nariño."
But, after verifying the number of species she was carrying and the symptoms of suffocation they presented, they began the
judicial process
.
The Brazilian woman was arrested by the Colombian Police.
video capture
Oophaga Histrionica, a colorful, deadly and endangered species of frog
The Oophaga Histrionica species is native to the humid forests of the Pacific and has
exotic beauty, but is one of the deadliest in the world
.
Due to its scarcity, it is in high demand in international markets, the vast majority of which are illegal: collectors pay up to just over
$1,000 for each live specimen
.
The semi-suffocated frogs were immediately transported
to a veterinary center
due to the poor conditions in which they were found, "they were a few hours away from dying," said the commander in charge of the operation.
The Harlequin Poison Frog is one of the most exotic and deadly species.
Instagram photo
It is expected that in the coming days these specimens will be able to return
to their natural habitat
once they recover from the health complications they suffered after being stolen.
"The foreign citizen did not have the single safe-conduct for national mobilization or the permit to use wildlife," so "she was left at the disposal of the Attorney General's Office," Arévalo concluded.
With information from EFE.
D.S.