Customs officials at Chennai airport found 107 live spiders in a postal parcel that arrived from Poland at the Foreign Post Office. As per a statement, the customs said that the parcel was addressed to a person in Tamil Nadu’s Arupukotai. When it was cut open, a thermocouple box was found in which 107 small plastic vials wrapped in silver foil and cotton were visible and while checking, live spiders were crawling inside each vial.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials and Zoological Survey of India (SRC) scientists were called to identify the species. It was suspected by the officials that the spiders are of the genus Phonopelma and Brachypelma, or a type of tarantulas that are native to South and Central America and Mexico.
The Animal Quarantine Officials recommended deporting the parcel containing the spiders to the country of origin as the said import is illegal as there was no DGFT license and health-related documents of import into India.
