Sri Lanka court fines Italian father, son $200,000 for illegally collecting endangered insects

By Anadolu staff

A local court in Sri Lanka imposed a fine of around $200,000 on an Italian father and his son over attempting to illegally smuggle hundreds of endangered insects, local media reported.

Local authorities arrested Peraria Luigi and his son Peraria Mattia in May this year and a Magistrate's Court in Tissamaharama, a town in Hambantota district, Southern Province, imposed the fine earlier this month, according to Lanka Sara media outlet.

The Italian national admitted that they collected species, including butterflies and dragonflies, from the Kataragama Kochi Pathana reserve, the media report said.

Local wildlife officials arrested both father and his young son and recovered 92 species of butterflies and 160 animals from nine species of dragonflies, it added.

Investigations showed that they planned to chemically preserve the insects, pack them in wax bags, and smuggle them out of the country, according to the report.

During the investigation, it was also revealed that they had used animal attractants to trap the insects.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid