BOGOTA, Colombia (KFOR/Storyful) – Police arrested a woman at an airport in Bogota, Colombia, who officers say tried to conceal 130 poisonous frogs in her suitcase.
Video at the top of this story shows officers opening the woman’s suitcase at El Dorado Airport, and opening several of the tiny jars which individually housed the 130 Harlequin Poison Frogs, an endangered species native to Colombia, and considered one of the most poisonous amphibians in the world, police said.
According to the National Police of The Republic of Colombia, the woman, 37, was trying to smuggle the frogs on a flight but failed to board, bound for Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“This endangered species is sought after in international markets by collectors who pay up to a thousand dollars for each frog, taking into account its exotic beauty and origin, which in the case of Colombia are unique and inhabit the humid tropical forests of the region,” police stated in a press release.
Police said the woman claimed the frogs were a gift from the Narino people, however, officers arrested her for wildlife trafficking and creating damage to Colombia’s ecosystem.
The frogs showed early symptoms of suffocation, according to police, and were a few hours away from dying.
The frogs were transferred to wildlife and environmental rehabilitation groups for treatment.
