Scorpions seized at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines - More than 100 scorpions that were bound for Indonesia and some parts of Europe were seized at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently.

Customs officers and DHL employees at the DHL Cargo Express warehouse have turned over the scorpions – some of them already dead – to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

A DENR official, who requested anonymity, said the senders are from Novaliches, Quezon City and Pasig City, “but of course those addresses are fictitious.”

The official said the scorpions were not covered by permits when the shipment was discovered.

“For us, the scorpions have no value, but they command high prices abroad,” the official said. In some countries, scorpion venom is valued in alternative medicine and some people collect scorpions as pets.