Insects worth $40,000 stolen in Philadelphia

Insects worth $40,000 stolen in Philadelphia

Two suspects are under investigation after stealing over 7,000 live insects from the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion. 

close up bug on leaf
Unsplash/Hamish Secrett

Officials in Philadelphia are still searching for over 7,000 spiders, cockroaches, and lizards that were stolen from the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion. 

Security footage shows two employees carrying insects to a car in boxes. The rare insects that were taken make up a whopping 80 percent of the institution's inventory of insects and are estimated to be worth about $40,000.

Speaking to the New York Times, CEO of the Insectarium Dr John Cambridge said he "believes the animals were stolen to be resold".

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He also told the publication that staff found two uniforms pinned to a wall in the Insectarium with knives. 

A few of the missing insects, including a Mexican Fire Leg Tarantula, have been found and returned by police. 

The homes of the suspects were searched and neither the insects nor the Insectarium's records of the animals were found. The investigation is ongoing. 

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