Strange discovery at the airport: a passenger passed off mummified monkeys as dried fish
Employees at Boston's Logan Airport experienced a shock when a service dog sniffed out an unusual "souvenir" in the luggage of a traveler returning from Africa - the mummified bodies of four monkeys.
The passenger, who had flown in from the Democratic Republic of Congo, tried to pass off the animal remains as dried fish. However, a dog's keen sense of smell and a thorough inspection by airport officials revealed the horrifying truth, according to the CBP website.
The traveler claimed that he was bringing the monkeys to the United States for his own consumption. However, the importation of raw or minimally processed wild animal meat, known as "bushmeat," into the United States is strictly prohibited due to the risk of spreading dangerous diseases.
"The potential dangers associated with the importation of wild animal meat into the United States are real. Wild animal meat can carry germs that can cause diseases, including the Ebola virus," said Julio Caravia, the local port's director of customs and border control.
The incident took place in January, but information about it has only recently emerged.
Although no charges have been officially filed, all of the traveler's luggage was confiscated, and nearly 4 kilograms of wild animal meat were destroyed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is not an isolated case. Earlier this month, a woman was arrested in Brazil for trying to smuggle 130 poisonous harlequin frogs through Panama to São Paulo. They were found in a dehydrated and stressed state.
