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Airport employees were surprised when a security dog detected something out of the ordinary in the luggage of a passenger who had just returned from Africa – mummified monkeys.
Agents discovered four dehydrated and deceased monkeys in the luggage during an inspection at Boston Logan Airport, contradicting the passenger’s claim that it only contained dried fish after returning from a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On Sunday, Ryan Bissette, a spokesperson for CPB, stated that the traveler claimed to have brought the monkeys into the US for personal consumption.
The United States prohibits the consumption of raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals, also known as “bushmeat,” due to health concerns.
Julio Caravia, the local port director for Customs and Border Protection, emphasized the genuine risks associated with importing bushmeat into the United States. This type of meat can potentially harbor harmful germs, such as the Ebola virus, which can lead to illness.
It is believed that one or more strains of HIV originated from hunters who consumed bushmeat in central and western Africa.
The occurrence took place in the previous month, but was announced on Friday.
Airport-Mummified Monkeys
On Sunday, Bissette announced that no charges were pressed, however, all luggage was confiscated and the approximately 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of bushmeat were designated for disposal by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In recent weeks, a woman from Brazil who was travelling to Sao Paulo through Panama was accused of trafficking wildlife. 130 Harlequin frogs were confiscated from her baggage.
The suspected smuggler was apprehended at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport on Monday (January 29th) by officials after poisonous creatures were found packaged in small film canisters.
Authorities stated that the amphibians, commonly referred to as poison-dart frogs, were suffering from dehydration and stress.
Source: independent.co.uk
