A woman was apprehended at Bogota’s airport in Colombia for carrying 130 poisonous frogs in her luggage. The unidentified 37-year-old individual had hidden harlequin poison frogs in small jars as she attempted to pass through El Dorado Airport.
These frogs, belonging to an endangered species native to Colombia, are among the most toxic amphibians globally. The woman was allegedly trying to smuggle them on a flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to authorities, the endangered status of these frogs makes them desirable to collectors, who are willing to pay up to a thousand dollars per frog due to their exotic beauty and unique Colombian origin found in the humid tropical forests of the region, as stated in a news release by the National Police of The Republic of Colombia.
The woman asserted that the 130 poisonous frogs were a gift from the residents of Narino in western Colombia, but law enforcement grew sceptical of this explanation, particularly considering the substantial quantity of frogs and other suspicious factors.
As per the official statement, the suspect is now confronting charges related to wildlife trafficking.
The frogs, reportedly on the brink of suffocation in the tiny jars, were promptly transferred to a wildlife organization for necessary care and treatment.
