A curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York who was detained in Istanbul on Monday while allegedly attempting to smuggle spider and scorpion samples out of Turkey has been released.
In statement on Thursday, a spokesperson for the museum said Dr Lorenzo Prendini, curator of arachnida and myriapoda, had arrived back in New York.
“We understand that all potential charges against him have been dropped,” the museum said, and confirmed that Prendini had been working on a research project with Turkish scientists to study arachnid biodiversity and conservation.
“Consistent with routine practice in many international scientific collaborations, he was bringing specimens out of the country for study, after which they would be returned to the collections of local scientific institutions,” the statement added.
Earlier this week, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Prendini was detained for allegedly attempting to smuggle samples, including 88 bottles containing liquids and roughly 1,500 scorpions, tarantulas and spiders endemic to Turkey.
The outlet reported that some of the samples could be used for medical research, noting that a liter of scorpion venom can be worth about $10m.
The museum’s website lists Prendini as the curator of its spider, scorpion, centipede and millipede collections, has travelled to 30 countries on every continent, except Antarctica, in search of spiders and scorpions. The museum said it was “pleased to confirm” that Prendini “has arrived safely home”.
