Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials stopped an illegal import of mummified monkey remains from entering the United States at Boston Logan International Airport from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The incident occurred on January 8. The monkey remains were discovered in an individual’s luggage during an initial luggage screening after a Delta flight from Paris.
Upon discovery of the remains, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), was immediately contacted, and they requested that the luggage containing the monkey “bushmeat”, the term for “raw or minimally processed meat” be destroyed or returned to France.
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The items were then detained and “marked for destruction,” according to a press release.
“The potential dangers posed by bringing bushmeat into the United States are real”, said Julio Caravia, Area Port Director for CBP Boston said in a statement. “Bushmeat can carry germs that can cause illness, including the Ebola virus. The work of CBP’s K9 and Agricultural Specialist were vital in preventing this potential danger from entering the U.S,” added Caravia.
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