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Three men were arrested in Japan because they try to smuggle hermit crab out of the country.
The suspects, 24, 26 and 27 years old, and in the Japanese media are identified as Chinese nationals, were held on Amami, a southern island where the shellfish of the spiral shellfish are a protected species.
Authorities were warned about the live charge of the men when hotel staff, who was asked to take care of their luggage, noticed the suitcases that made a “rustling sound”, the police told the local media.
Officers then discovered “thousands” hermit crab, with a weight of about 95 kg. The third man turned out to have another 65 kg in another set of three suitcases.
“Our research is underway to determine whether they (the crabs) had to sell them, or to keep them as pets, or to eat them,” a police spokesperson told AFP after the arrests on Wednesday. “We discuss all the possibilities.”
The police said that the recluse was scratching “a national treasure”, who were part of the plant and animal diversity of Amami Island.
Hermit -Krabben – so called because they clean up grenades to live in – can regularly be seen on the beaches of the popular tourist destination.
According to the Japan Times, the scratches can be worth a maximum of ¥ 20,000 (£ 103).
