A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol police dog named Buddey got accolades for finding the dehydrated bodies of four dead monkeys. They arrived on a piece of luggage from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Paris.
As far as federal law is concerned, the mummified bodies are bushmeat and not allowed in the country. They were in a bag that belonged to a passenger on a return trip to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa.
CBP shared images of the monkeys’ bodies. The passenger put them in a blanket within a basket inside a cardboard box. Authorities made the discovery during a routine screening of baggage coming into the country at Logan Airport.
The police dog, Buddey, alerted his handler to the luggage, prompting a search. They asked the owner of the luggage what was inside the bag, and his response was dried fish.
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Truly, only dry fish appeared under an X-ray. But the bodies, weighing nearly 9 lbs., came to light during a physical inspection of the bag. The bodies are to be destroyed at the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It regulates materials involving monkeys entering the U.S. and said they could either destroy the bag or return it to France. Raw or minimally processed wild animal meat from some locations worldwide is what many call bushmeat. According to the CDC, it is illegal to bring such things into the country and carries a $250,000 fine.
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“The potential dangers posed by bringing bushmeat into the United States are real,” Julio Cararvia, CBP’s Boston area port director, shared in a statement. “Bushmeat can carry germs that can cause illness, including the Ebola virus.
The work of CBP’s K9 unit and Agricultural Specialist were vital in preventing this potential danger from entering the U.S.” It is not hard to see why the U.S. takes threats like this seriously. Ebola is not the only virus that spreads via bush meat.
They also contain other viruses, including HIV, simian foamy virus, monkeypox virus, SARS, and retroviruses. If the bush meat is surprisingly virus-free, it may contain other pathogens like anthrax, herpesviruses, paramyxoviruses, and hepatitis.
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Regarding bacteria it could be holding, the list ranges from Brucellosis, Q fever, and Escherichia coli to Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Mycobacterium bovis. The recent discovery highlights the importance of the vigilance of law enforcement. Had they missed the bag, it could have already been within the country wreaking havoc.
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