EDMONTON--Border services officers at Edmonton International Airport say they found two live tarantulas on separate dates—one hidden in a plastic container and the other inside a children’s toy—in incoming packages from Hong Kong.
CBSA then inspected another package from the same shipper on June 1 and found a female spider hidden inside a child’s toy plane.
Border officers contacted enforcement officials from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to determine if the spiders were listed as endangered in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
“Upon inspection and further examination by ECCC wildlife enforcement officers and their partners, it was determined that both spiders are Phlogiellus xinping (a species of tarantula), which are native to Hong Kong and are not CITES listed,” said the CBSA.
The tarantulas were not delivered to the intended recipient.
“Under Canadian law, any CITES-listed wildlife imported into Canada or exported from Canada without the required permits, or a prescribed exemption may be subject to seizure and forfeiture, and those responsible may be liable to prosecution,” said the CBSA.
Canada has strict regulations in place to facilitate the humane transport of living creatures, added the CBSA. “All animals, including cats, dogs, exotics and reptiles, must be kept safe from harm and injury when they are travelling by land, air or sea.”
“CBSA officers were able to find and rescue these two tarantulas from inhumane shipping methods,” said Lisa Laurencelle-Peace, CBSA regional director general for the prairie region.
“The CBSA works closely with its enforcement partners, including ECCC enforcement officers, to keep Canada’s border secure and stop the illegal wildlife trade,” said Ms. Laurencelle-Peace.
As a means to avoid spreading animal-related diseases and introducing foreign species, all living creatures, including pets, must be declared under regulations when importing them into Canada.
CBSA said the tarantulas are doing well and are now living at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton.
