Alerted by a sniffer dog, airport security officers at Boston Logan Airport found something odd in a traveler's luggage: mummified monkeys. The man, returning from a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, claimed that he was bringing in dried fish. The dead, dessicated bodies of four monkeys were revealed, he said he brought them in "for his own consumption," according to customs spokesman Ryan Bissette. Raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals is banned in the U.S. because of the threat of disease, reports the Associated Press.
"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," said Julio Caravia, local port director for Customs and Border Protection. The incident happened last month but was made public on Friday.
Nine pounds of bushmeat right there, according to officials, though I don't know if I believe the mummified monkeys were for eating.
Previously: live monkeys found in luggage.
