U.S. Customs Authorities Find Mummified Monkeys in Luggage at Boston Airport

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) dog found luggage containing mummified monkeys at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on January 8. The passenger was returning to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a layover in Paris.

The Incident

A customs dog named Buddey alerted his operator to a piece of luggage during a preliminary screening after Delta Air Lines flight 225 (DL 225) landed in Boston from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). A CBP spokesperson named Ryan Bissette said the traveler said he transported the monkeys into the U.S. for consumption.

CBP said about the incident:

"The luggage was x-rayed and appeared to hold dried fish. Still, upon physical inspection, the officer identified the dead and dehydrated bodies of four monkeys." 

The CBP agent contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They requested that the luggage containing nearly 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of bushmeat be seized immediately and Delta Air Lines either destroy the belongings or return the bags to France. Bisette said no charges were filed for discovering the monkeys in the passenger's luggage.

Julio Caravia, a local port director for CBP, added:

"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."

Similar Incidents

Meat frequently goes into airports and on flights since millions worldwide rely on bushmeat as a source of protein. For example, almost 3.9 tons of bushmeat are smuggled into Brussels Airport (BRU) each month. The meat is hard to identify since they are mostly dried, charred, smoked, and chopped. The identified bushmeat included elephants, pangolins, and crocodiles.

An assessment of the impact of hunting on animals found that such wildlife trafficking plays a significant role in animals becoming extinct. Aside from reducing wildlife populations, bushmeat also poses a considerable threat to human health.