A Brazilian woman has been arrested with 130 poisonous frogs in her luggage.
A woman was arrested with 130 poisonous Harlequin frogs in her luggage
The Harlequin frogs were discovered by Colombian police at Bogota airport on Monday (29.01.24) and were distressed and dehydrated in small film canisters.
The woman, who was travelling to Sao Paulo via Panama, claimed to have been given the frogs as a gift from a local community in the south of Colombia but has now been charged with wildlife trafficking.
Harlequin frogs, also known as poison-dart frogs, measure less than the size of a human thumb but their skin glands produce a highly toxic poison that is strong enough to kill small animals.
The amphibians are a critically endangered species which makes them highly sought by private collectors across the world.
Local police say that the frogs can fetch up to $1,000 each while Bogota Environment Secretary Adriana Soto said that the fine for being in possession of the animals could reach 56 million pesos ($14,300).