These Customs and Border Protection dogs don’t play around.
A dog with a federal agency — and with a nose for the unusual — sniffed out four mummified monkeys that someone tried to smuggle into the United States from Africa after landing at Boston’s Logan International Airport last month, officials revealed recently.
The illegally transported “dead and dehydrated” monkey was found inside a suitcase on Jan. 9 during a preliminary inspection by a K9 named Buddy, the federal department said in a statement Friday.
Buddy alerted his handlers to a specific piece of luggage that led authorities to question the passenger, who was on Delta flight 225 from Paris en route from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The unidentified individual claimed he was only holding dried fish. Although an x-ray of the luggage appeared to show only fish, further examination of the bag found four dead monkeys, CBP said.
Raw or minimally processed wild animal meat from certain parts of the world – including Africa – is called bushmeat, which can cause infectious diseases, officials said.
The mummified remains of four monkeys found and seized from the luggage are seen in this photo. AP
The dead monkey was found in a suitcase on January 9 during a preliminary inspection by a K9 named Buddy. AFP via Getty Images
“The potential danger posed by bringing bushmeat into the United States is real,” Julio Caravia, CBP’s Boston area port director, said in a statement.
“Bush meat can carry germs that can cause disease, including the Ebola virus. The work of CBP K9 units and Agricultural Specialists is essential in preventing this potential danger from entering the US.”
CBP called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leading the health agency to request that the luggage be either destroyed or sent back to France.
About four kilograms, or nearly nine pounds, of bushmeat was seized by the CDC and marked for destruction.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
