An Italian father and son have been slapped with a hefty $200,000 fine—60 million Sri Lankan rupees—for attempting to smuggle hundreds of rare insects, including 92 butterfly species, out of Yala National Park.
Luigi Ferrari, 68, and his 28-year-old son Mattia were apprehended by park rangers on May 8 after they were caught with jars full of the insects.
They had lured the creatures using animal attractants and planned to preserve them with wax sachets.
Convicted in early September of illegal collection, possession, and transportation, they received the largest fine ever imposed for wildlife crime in Sri Lanka. The arrest came after a safari jeep driver reported a “suspicious car” parked near the park. Rangers found hundreds of jars with dead insects, preserved with chemicals.
Initially facing 810 charges, the number was later reduced to 304. If they don’t pay the fine by September 24, they could face two years in prison. Currently, they remain in Sri Lanka, where they were on vacation at the time of the incident.
Luigi Ferrari, an orthopedic surgeon from Modena and a member of an entomology association, has received pleas for leniency from friends and colleagues in Italy, who argue that the butterflies had no commercial value. However, Dr. Jagath Gunawardena, an expert in environmental law, views the fine as a crucial deterrent against wildlife crime.
Wildlife theft is a recurring issue in Sri Lanka, as demonstrated by the recent arrest of two Russians for collecting animals near the Knuckles Forest Reserve.
