Fun Fact

Dead tarantulas and a haul of mangoes are among items found by Biosecurity New Zealand quarantine officers who are stopping pests and diseases entering the country as passenger arrivals climb.

Latest figures show that in June, a total of 406,061 passengers arrived in New Zealand, compared with 206,394 in June 2022. The passenger volume increase has led to a rise in the number of seizures of goods that could carry unwanted pests or diseases. In June, officers seized 9,061 items, compared with 2,693 items in June 2022.

The 28 mangoes were destroyed after being declared by a traveller from India arriving at Auckland Airport (they were inspected for fruit fly first), and the dead tarantulas were in a container inside a parcel from Mexico.

Image: Container full of dead tarantulas, posted from Mexico. Credit: Biosecurity New Zealand.