A man in his 50s was caught with six small bright blue frogs during a routine check after a ferry trip: – Very unusual, section manager said.

– As far as I know, this is the first time we have encountered something like this, I have never heard of it before, said parts manager at Sandefjord Customs, Kjetil Lundeberg.

At the pier in Larvik, a car containing two people coming by ferry from Hirtshals was stopped on its way to the country.

– In the trunk there are six frogs in a plastic container. It’s blue, nice and very small. And very poisonous. A discovery like this is very unusual, Lundeberg said.

It was a local newspaper Usual who first mentioned this problem.

The most poisonous in the world

The frog is of the Blue type poison dart frog.poison dart frog.Poison dart frogs are small. The largest species can reach six centimeters in length, while the smallest species can be less than 1.5 centimeters. Most species have a strong coloration, called an aposematic color pattern, which warns that they are poisonous. In general, most colorful species are poisonous, while species with simpler colors have no poison. (snl.no) It lives in the forests of southern Suriname and the far north of Brazil. This frog is described as the most poisonous type of frog in the world.

Lundeberg said that Customs office has sent the frog to Den Lille Dyrehage in Brokeland Heia in Arendal.

– They should be able to handle that kind of frog, says Lundeberg.

He said even though the frog is poisonous, it doesn’t matter if you hold it in your hand.

– As long as you wash straight after, it’s probably not a problem. However, I don’t think you should eat it for dinner, he chuckled.

Police case

Importing amphibians is illegal, and the humans have now been reported.

– The frog is endangered, and its import is illegal. This is now a police matter. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Norwegian Environment Agency have also been contacted. “When we discover this kind of smuggling, we contact Sør-Est through the customs operations center in Moss,” said Lundeberg.

The man arrived on the SuperSpeed2 ferry from Hirtshals to Larvik on Sunday evening.

– How often do you find live animals of this type during routine inspections?

– It’s not often, but it happens occasionally. Everything from lizards to snakes. Birds are more common, Lundeberg said.

– Do you have a theory as to why the man was trying to smuggle in frogs?

– It’s hard for me to speculate, all we know is that it was only bought abroad. Since this was an illegal import, it was the police who followed up, answered Lundeberg.