Lizards and frogs and snakes, oh my!
Greater than 160 creepy-crawlers — together with tarantulas, centipedes, and two dozen pythons — have been confiscated from a truck attempting to cross the Texas border into Mexico amid a spike in unique pet smuggling within the space, officers mentioned.
A single silver Toyota truck trying to cruise over the Anzalduas Worldwide Bridge in Texas on Oct. 22 in some way match all 163 of the confiscated animals inside. The driving force was arrested, however hasn’t been charged, in accordance with US Customs and Border Safety.
The truck was packed to the brim with 45 totally different species of reptiles and arthropods. Most of the unique beasts, together with the staggering 24 Royal Pythons discovered inside, are comparatively innocent if dealt with correctly and usually bought as unique pets.
In whole, there have been a whopping 28 totally different species of snakes, 9 kinds of lizards, three bug and frog species, and a single tortoise seized throughout the tried border crossing, in accordance with the CBP.
Carlos Rodriguez, the port director who oversees the workplace in Hidalgo, Texas, mentioned that there’s been an uptick in “the smuggling of unique pets” in communities close to the Texas-Mexico border.
“The smuggling of unique pets has been on the rise in our space, and we work carefully with our companions of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to guard and protect these creatures and be certain that importations and exportations of wildlife adhere to all relevant federal necessities,” Rodriguez mentioned in an announcement.
The Submit reached out to Rodriguez for additional remark.
The reptiles and bugs — together with 4 centipedes — have been remanded into the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s custody.
