Butterfly Smugglers Nabbed
Italian Father-Son Duo Fined $200,000 for Wildlife Crimes in Sri Lanka
Butterfly Smugglers Nabbed
Sri Lankan authorities fined Italian father Luigi Ferrari (68) and his son Mattia (28) 60 million rupees ($200,000) for smuggling hundreds of insects, including 92 species of butterflies, from Yala National Park. Rangers arrested them on May 8 after catching them with jars filled with dead insects.
The men had lured the insects with animal attractants and preserved them with chemicals.
A safari driver reported a suspicious vehicle to park rangers, leading them to the smugglers. Rangers found the jars in the car’s trunk and charged the duo with 304 counts of illegal insect collection and transportation.
They now face the highest wildlife crime fine in Sri Lanka’s history and risk two years in jail if they don’t pay by September 24.
Luigi Ferrari, an orthopaedic surgeon and avid insect collector, has remained in Sri Lanka with his son since the arrest.
Despite pleas from friends in Italy for leniency, environmental law expert Dr. Jagath Gunawardena praised the hefty fine as a strong warning to wildlife traffickers.
Butterfly Smugglers Nabbed
