A passenger returning from a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo reported dried fish in his luggage, but inspection at Boston's Logan Airport revealed the dehydrated bodies of four monkeys. The passenger said he had brought the monkeys into the US for "his own consumption", US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman Ryan Bissett said. Voice of America reports.
Raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals, sometimes called "game meat," is banned in the U.S. because of the risk of spreading disease.
"The potential dangers of bringing game meat into the United States are real." Such meat can carry disease-causing germs, including the Ebola virus," said Julio Caravia, director of the local port's Customs and Border Protection.
The incident happened last month, but CBP has only now released what happened.
Bisset said that no charges have been filed, but that all the luggage has been confiscated, and almost four kilograms of wild meat will be destroyed by representatives of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dangerous exotic "treats"
Smoked monkeys, turtle heads, whole bats: in the market of the city of Mbandaka in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, many types of exotic meat can be found. For the Congolese, these delicacies, unimaginable to the Western palate, are an important source of protein. But these are dangerous treats, he previously wrote for Deutsche Welle (DW).
Whether it's bird flu, AIDS, Ebola, or the coronavirus: many of these diseases are zoonotic, meaning they spread to humans through animals. Experts say that 75 percent of new diseases are transmitted to humans through animals. Many of these diseases are due to the consumption of exotic meat.
In West and Central Africa, the hunting and trade of many species of wild animals is legal. Or at least semi-legal. It is similar in the south of Africa.
Recently, the demand for exotic meat has increased, which has raised prices. Thus, this type of meat on the legal market became accessible only to the wealthier layers of society.
The United Nations estimates that up to five million tons of exotic meat are consumed annually in the Congo River basin. Meanwhile, this meat is exported all over the world, which increases the risk of the spread of infection even more. Tanzania has legalized the sale of exotic meat to prevent poaching. And the slaughter should take place under strict control. Whether legal or illegal, thousands of tons of meat from exotic animals end up on the market.
