Summary
Customs officials in Germany found about 1,500 young tarantulas hidden in chocolate cake boxes at an airport. The spiders were in a package from Vietnam, and many did not survive. There is an ongoing investigation into violations of customs and animal-welfare rules.
Key Facts
- Customs officials found about 1,500 young tarantulas at Cologne Bonn airport.
- The spiders were hidden in plastic containers within chocolate spongecake boxes.
- The package came from Vietnam and was detected due to an unusual smell.
- Many tarantulas did not survive the journey.
- Survivors were handed over to an expert for care.
- This discovery is linked to possible violations of German animal-welfare laws.
- Criminal proceedings are underway against the recipient for not declaring the shipment properly and not paying import duties.
- The discovery occurred about three weeks ago, but was only recently made public.
