Reports from Turkish media indicate that a curator at the American Museum of Natural History was detained in Istanbul on Monday for allegedly attempting to smuggle spider and scorpion samples. The curator, an expert on arachnids, claimed to have permits from the Turkish government to conduct his research.
The curator, identified as a specialist in arachnids at the New York-based museum, was reportedly apprehended by police at Istanbul Airport while trying to transport approximately 1,500 samples out of the country. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the curator was held for allegedly attempting to smuggle species indigenous to Turkey.
