U.S. Customs and Border Protection K9 Buddey sniffed out a package containing mummified monkey remains which are known as a type of bushmeat at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Jan. 8, 2024, authorities said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they caught a traveler trying to sneak mummified monkey remains into the country at Boston‘s airport.
CBP agency issued a press release Friday that said on Jan. 8, K9 Buddey was screening luggage from Delta flight 225 from Paris to Logan International Airport. The dog alerted his handler to a specific bag, they said.
The bag’s owner allegedly claimed there was only dried fish inside, but agents investigated further. Inside they found the dead and dehydrated bodies of four monkeys along with dried fish, authorities said.
“Raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals in some areas of the world, including Africa, is referred to as ‘bushmeat.’ Bushmeat comes from a variety of wild animals, including bats, nonhuman primates (monkeys), cane rats (grasscutters), and duiker (antelope), and may pose a communicable disease risk,” the press release said.
Bushmeat is not allowed into the U.S. CBP called the Center for Disease Control which confiscated and destroyed the bushmeat which weighed about 9 pounds, they said. Delta airlines was tasked with destroying the bag itself or returning it to France, the press release said.
No criminal charges were filed.
“The potential dangers posed by bringing bushmeat into the United States are real,” said Julio Caravia, Area Port Director – CBP Boston. “Bushmeat can carry germs that can cause illness, including the Ebola virus. The work of CBP’s K9 unit and Agricultural Specialist were vital in preventing this potential danger from entering the U.S.,” he added.
According to the CDC website, there can be a $250,000 fine for bringing it bushmeat to the U.S.
Border protection agricultural specialists look for invasive insects, federal noxious weeds and plant and animal diseases as international shipments and traveler baggage arrive daily in the country.
