PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Customs officials in Philadelphia seized a box containing rare beetles they said were being smuggled into Europe.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said its officers inspected a parcel marked as “4x play toy,” which was on its way from North Carolina to Germany last month. Inside, they found three live female Chief Goliath beetles — which can be up to 3 inches in length. Officers also found additional parts of dead stag beetles and display boxes.
Chief Goliaths are native to African rainforests and considered rare by researchers due to deforestation and agricultural expansion.
CBP turned the live scarabs over to the United States Department of Agriculture and the rest of the shipment to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
USFWS is investigating potential violations of the Endangered Species Act and looking into whether whoever shipped the bugs was trading in wildlife without a license.
Officials say these kinds of specimens are hot commodities, with collectors and insect enthusiasts sometimes turning to illegal, underground markets to acquire them.
