Customs find 56 rare cacti in package from Thailand

FLORA The specimens have been entrusted to the National Museum of Natural History, which should keep them

According to the IUCN, there are only 5,000 specimens of this exceptional cactus left in the wild. (Illustration) — 21saturday/Pixabay

An exceptional entry. On July 26, customs officers intercepted in a parcel from Thailand no less than 56 sea urchin cacti (or “astrophytum asterias”), an extremely rare species native to Mexico, according to a press release. customs published this Friday.

The package intended for to an individual living in the south-east of France was controlled at the Chelles international sorting center (Seine-et-Marne), which manages, among other things, freight from Roissy airport. The less than 2 kg package contained 56 sea urchin cacti, wrapped in handkerchiefs and piled up against each other, says Le Parisien.

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An expensive and very rare cactus

The cacti have been entrusted to the National Museum of Natural History, which will carry out additional expertise, in particular to find out whether they are natural or cultivated specimens. The cacti will probably become the property of of the Muséum, which did not possess this species until then.

The sea urchin cactus is a species considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its sale is prohibited worldwide without a specific permit – that the sender of the parcel did not hold. According to the IUCN, there are only 5,000 specimens of this cactus left. in the wild, in Mexico and in a small locality. of Texas.

Sold at a very high price, this plant is very expensive. the shape and to the original color is prized by collectors. It is so expensive that it is nicknamed “Sand Dollar” (sand dollar) in the United States. “It’s very gratifying to think that you’re removed sales channels for endangered species that have nothing to do with them; do it,” the customs officer who made the discovery at the Parisian. In 2022, the French customs made 423 findings in terms of protected flora and fauna, and seized more than 52,000 specimens.