CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Operatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) confiscated on Monday, June 16, 2020, a total of 31 juvenile endangered tarantula spiders worth an estimated P40,000, which were attempted to be smuggled through a courier service in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
Acting on a report from the courier service, DENR and BOC opened up a package that was sent from overseas and which was erroneously declared as containing “plastic parts.” The package contained bunches of rubber bands concealing a plastic container that was found to be housing 31 tarantulas wrapped in individual sachets.
Due to the inappropriate storage, 11 of the spiders were discovered to have died during transport. The live arachnids were transferred to appropriate containers and turned over to the DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau for rehabilitation and care.
The species included Caribena versicolor, which is prized for its distinct coloration and Poecilotheria regalis, one of the most popular arboreal tarantulas for collectors, with a leg span sometimes exceeding seven inches, and which is classified as endangered, according to DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2019-09.
Illegal importation, collection and trade of endangered wildlife is punishable by imprisonment of up to six years and a fine of up to 200,000 pesos under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Protection and Conservation Act.
According to reports by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the black market for tarantula hobbyists has become a threat which, together with deforestation and loss of habitat, may lead to the extinction of the spider.