Leave our bugs alone!
Published 09 March, 2008, 10:51
A Russian couple has arrived home after spending two months in a Madagascan jail accused of poaching local insects.
The two insect collectors from the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk had travelled to the African island to search for rare types of butterflies and other small wildlife.
They were arrested by local authorities, charged with trying to smuggle a snake, a frog and several rare insects, including butterflies, out of the country. Later they were sentenced to three months in prison for hunting rare animals, although they say they were just taking photos.
After serving nearly two months they managed to get a court hearing, in which they were found innocent. Following their release, Vladimir Efremenko complained about their treatment at the hands of Madagascan authorities. The insect lover was particularly put out by the fact that his prison cell was full of…cockroaches, fleas and flies.
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