The Mystery of the Stolen Bugs

    It was a daring heist. One night last August, thieves crept through a museum in Philadelphia. They emptied one display case after another. They carried their loot down a fire escape and fled. 

    What priceless treasure did they risk their freedom for? Was it the jewels of a royal family? A collection of ancient Greek statues? The paintings of a master artist? 

    It was none of the above.  

    They stole a bunch of bugs.

    It was a daring heist. It took place in August. It took place at night. The thieves broke into a museum in Philadelphia. They emptied one display case. Then they emptied another and another. They carried their loot down a fire escape. Then they fled. 

    What treasure did they steal? Jewels? Statues? Paintings? 

    It was none of these. 

    They stole a bunch of bugs.

    One night last August, thieves pulled off a daring heist in Philadelphia. They crept through a museum, emptying one display case after another. Then they carried their loot down a fire escape and fled. 

    What precious treasure did they risk their freedom for? Was it the jewels of a royal family? A collection of ancient Greek statues? The paintings of a master artist? 

    It was none of the above. 

    They stole a bunch of bugs.

    The target of the heist was the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion. The thieves took about 7,000 insects and other rare creatures. Their haul included scorpions, tarantulas, and millipedes. They even took cockroaches.

    Why would anyone steal creepy, crawly creatures that most people consider pests? The answer is simple: money. The thieves probably planned to sell their loot to insect collectors. Some of the bugs would be kept as pets. Others would be killed, dried, and turned into art. 

    Collectors pay high prices for rare creatures. A zebra tarantula can be worth up to $400. And those cockroaches? You wouldn’t want to find one in your kitchen. But some people will pay $500 for a pair of giant rhino roaches. In all, the stolen bugs were worth about $40,000.

    The museum was the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion. The thieves took about 7,000 insects. They grabbed other creatures too. They took scorpions, tarantulas, and millipedes. They even took cockroaches.

    Why steal creatures that most people see as pests? The answer is simple: money. The thieves probably planned to sell their loot. Some of the bugs would be sold as pets. Others would be killed and turned into art.     

    Some people will pay high prices for rare bugs. One kind of tarantula can sell for $400. And those cockroaches? You wouldn’t want one in your kitchen. But some people will pay $500 for a pair of the right kind. In all, the stolen bugs were worth about $40,000.

    The target of the heist was the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion, from which the thieves took about 7,000 insects and other rare creatures. Their haul included scorpions, tarantulas, millipedes—and even cockroaches.

    Why steal creepy, crawly creatures that most people consider pests? The answer is simple: money. Most likely, the plan was to sell the loot to insect collectors. Some collectors would keep the bugs as pets, while others would kill the bugs, dry them, and transform them into art.

    Collectors will pay extraordinary sums for rare creatures such as a zebra tarantula, which can be worth up to $400. And those cockroaches? You wouldn’t want to discover one in your kitchen, but some people will happily hand over $500 for a pair of giant rhino roaches. In total, the bug haul was worth about $40,000.

    The Philadelphia insect thieves are a small part of a very large illegal business. Every year, people make billions of dollars selling endangered wildlife. Elephants are killed for their ivory tusks. Rhinoceroses are shot for their horns. Tropical birds are captured and sold as pets.

    Live animals and animal parts are hidden and shipped around the world. People have stashed tiger bones in loudspeakers. They have stuffed elephant tusks into hollow logs. And insects are especially easy to hide. They can be carried in shoeboxes or suitcases. One smuggler tried to transport tarantulas inside video game cartridges.

    Buyers use the illegal products in different ways. Ivory is carved into artwork for the homes of rich people. Rhino horn and tiger bones are crushed into powder. In some parts of Asia, the powders are used in traditional medicines. Rhino horn is thought to be especially powerful. It can be worth twice as much as gold.

    The illegal wildlife trade has put thousands of species at risk. Elephants and rhinos have been hit hard. And only about 4,000 tigers are left in the wild. 

    You might think there’s no shortage of bugs. But scientists say some tarantula species may be threatened as well.

    The Philadelphia heist was a small part of a big illegal business. Every year, people make billions of dollars selling endangered wildlife. Elephants are killed. Then their ivory tusks are sold. Rhinoceroses are shot. Then their horns are sold. Tropical birds are captured. Then they are sold as pets.

    Animals and animal parts are hidden in things. Then they’re sent around the world. People have put tiger bones in loudspeakers. They’ve put elephant tusks in hollow logs. Insects are easy to hide. One smuggler tried to hide tarantulas in video game cartridges.

    Buyers use the creatures in many ways. Ivory is carved into art. Rhino horns and tiger bones are crushed into powder. In some parts of Asia, the powders are used in traditional medicines. Rhino horn can sell for twice as much as gold.

    This business has put thousands of species at risk of dying out. The number of elephants has fallen. There are very few rhinos. Only 4,000 tigers are left in the wild. 

    You might think there are plenty of bugs. But some tarantula species are at risk too.

    The Philadelphia heist represents just a fraction of the billions of dollars that people make annually in the illegal business of selling endangered wildlife. Every year, elephants are killed for their ivory tusks, rhinoceroses are shot for their horns, and tropical birds are captured and sold as pets.

    Live animals and animal parts are hidden in objects and then shipped around the world. People have stashed tiger bones in loudspeakers and stuffed elephant tusks into hollow logs. Insects, which can be carried in a shoebox or suitcase, are especially easy to hide. One smuggler attempted to transport tarantulas inside video game cartridges.

    Buyers use the illegal products in various ways. Ivory is carved into artwork for the homes of wealthy people. Rhino horn and tiger bones are crushed into powder and sold in different parts of Asia, where the powders are used in traditional medicines. Rhino horn is thought to be particularly powerful and can be worth twice as much as gold.

    The illegal wildlife trade has put thousands of species at risk, hitting elephants and rhinos especially hard. And only about 4,000 tigers remain in the wild. 

    You might assume there’s no shortage of bugs, but scientists warn that some tarantula species may be threatened as well.