Monkey Carcass Seized at O'Hare

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agriculture specialists at Chicago O’Hare International Airport found a monkey carcass in a traveler’s suitcase on April 11. (cbp.gov) The traveler had arrived from Cameroon and was sent to a secondary agriculture inspection after an X-ray showed an anomaly in the baggage, CBP said. The agency said it detained and destroyed the monkey remains because of “significant human health concerns.” (cbp.gov) Later the same day, CBP said a second traveler arriving from Liberia tried to bring in prohibited ruminant meat. Agriculture specialists inspected eight boxes in the baggage and found meat, bones, and hair concealed in dried seafood. (cbp.gov) CBP said the traveler identified the concealed meat as beef, and specialists seized 125 pounds of it, plus 1 pound of fresh leaves and four types of seeds for planting. The agency said seafood can be allowed, but ruminant meat from some regions is barred because of diseases including bovine spongiform encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease. (cbp.gov) (ecfr.gov) The monkey case falls under a broader U.S. ban on bushmeat, the term federal health officials use for raw or processed meat from wild animals such as nonhuman primates and bats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says bushmeat is illegal to bring into the United States and that any amount found at a port of entry will be destroyed. (cdc.gov) The CDC says bushmeat can carry germs that make people sick, including viruses linked to hemorrhagic fevers, and federal rules tightly restrict nonhuman primate imports to prevent communicable disease. Those restrictions cover live animals and some primate products, with separate treatment and documentation rules for products rendered noninfectious. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) (ecfr.gov) CBP has been warning travelers that undeclared agricultural items can trigger penalties as officers and agriculture specialists screen baggage at 328 U.S. ports of entry. In Chicago, Acting Director of Field Operations Michael Pfeiffer said the “sheer volume” of prohibited items intercepted daily shows how often officers encounter these cases. (cbp.gov) The agency’s public guidance tells arriving travelers to declare plant materials, animal products, and other agricultural items acquired abroad. At O’Hare on April 11, two separate inspections turned that rule into a suitcase-by-suitcase enforcement case. (cbp.gov)