United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently recovered giraffe poop from a woman returning from a trip in Kenya.
The woman was stopped at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport on September 29, and an inspection by agriculture specialists uncovered the strange memento stored in a small box.
According to the officials, the woman had ferried the faeces with the intention of using them to craft a necklace.
“The passenger declared giraffe faeces and stated she had obtained the droppings in Kenya and planned to make a necklace,” a statement from CBP read.
Further, she admitted to having used Moose poop at her home in Iowa for a similar project.
The box containing the odd souvenir was destroyed by CBP through steam sterilization in accordance with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) destruction protocol.
“There is a real danger with bringing faecal matter into the U.S.,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, CBP Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office.
Burke outlined the potential for diseases and serious health issues from such cargo.
She went on to underline the strict procedures for handling ruminant faecal matter, stating that it must undergo analysis by a veterinarian and receive a Veterinary Services Permit before entering the U.S.
The CBP director went on to list several diseases that Kenyan animals are afflicted with naming African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, Newcastle disease, Foot and Mouth disease, and Swine Vesicular Disease.
“CBP’s agriculture specialists mitigate the threat of non-native pests, diseases, and contaminants entering the United States,” said Augustine Moore, CBP Area Port Director-Minnesota.
Essentially, every country has similar rules about how biological cargo is handled.
In Kenya, any forbidden object detected at a point of entry into the country is confiscated from the individual and disposed of.
