Customs & Border Service Dog Finds Four Mummified Monkeys From Congo In Passenger’s Luggage

In Boston, a dog with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection sniffed out something out of the ordinary in the bag of a passenger coming back from Africa.

The traveler was reportedly returning from a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and brought back a souvenir that he originally reported to be dried fish but upon further inspection, agents discovered the dead and dehydrated bodies of four monkeys.

When questioned, the traveler revealed that he brought the monkeys back for his own consumption. Meat of this type is referred to as “bushmeat” and is typically raw or minimally processed meat. It is banned in the U.S. due to its potential for disease.

Julio Caravia, a director for Customs and Border Protection at the Boston Logan Airport stated that “the potential dangers posed by bringing bushmeat into the United States are real. Bushmeat can carry germs that can cause illness, including the Ebola virus.”

No charges were filed against the traveler, but the nine pounds of bushmeat were seized and disposed of by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mummified monkeys are not the only thing that has been seized by U.S. Customs. In November, a woman tried to bring a box of giraffe feces into the U.S. from Africa, but the box was taken by Customs as well.