A traveler returning from Africa was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Boston Logan International Airport after a K-9 sniffed out something unusual in their luggage.
Four mummified monkeys were discovered in the man’s bag. The traveler was coming back from a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, CBP said.
Baggage from foreign flights arriving at Logan Airport goes through a preliminary screening with a CBP K-9, the agency said. During the screening of a Delta flight from Paris, a K-9 named Buddey alerted his handler to a specific piece of luggage.
The owner of the bag, who was not identified, told officers it contained dried fish. But after inspection, CBP said officers found four dehydrated monkey bodies.
According to the agency, minimally processed meat from wild animals, such as monkeys, is referred to as bushmeat in some parts of the world, including Africa. However these types of meat pose a risk of carrying communicable diseases, so they are not allowed into the U.S.
“The potential dangers posed by bringing bushmeat into the United States are real,” said CBP Boston Area Port Director Julio Caravia in a press release. “Bushmeat can carry germs that can cause illness, including the Ebola virus.”
Officers contacted the Centers for Disease Control, which has regulatory authority over primate material. The CDC detained the mummified monkeys and requested that Delta Airlines either destroy the bags they were in or return the bags to France.
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