This Saturday (29), a Japanese man was detained at Guarulhos International Airport, Greater SP with 99 live beetles in his suitcase.
Among the insects are Brazilian species, such as the rhinoceros beetle.
The Federal Revenue Service seized in the early hours of this Saturday (29), at Guarulhos International Airport, a passenger who was carrying 99 live beetles hidden in his luggage that he was taking to board a plane bound for Thailand. The animals were inside packages with holes.
The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) was contacted to decide the fate of the seized insects.
In his defense, the Japanese claimed that he is an insect collector. He was taken to the Federal Police (PF), where he signed a detailed statement and was released to face charges of environmental crime.
Rhinoceros beetle smuggling
The smuggling of rhinoceros beetles and other species does not only happen in Brazil. Insects from countries such as Bolivia and Costa Rica are also targets of illegal exporters. These insects help keep forest ecosystems balanced and healthy. Bolivia's rhinoceros beetles are threatened by habitat loss caused by deforestation and illegal hunting for the pet trade.
Some species, such as Dynastes beetles, are essential for soil health. They are insects that recycle nutrients in tropical forests, helping to keep the soil aerated when they burrow to feed on decomposing organic matter.
“The Japanese's interest in large, well-equipped beetles goes beyond keeping them as pets. Jose Iannacone-Oliver and Alexander Soras-Vega, researchers in the biology department at the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal in Lima, Peru, note that among the factors causing the decline in the beetle population is the “use of insects… in events of struggle, which drives global demand.”
