CBP dogs confiscate mummified monkeys from traveller's bags

In a shocking incident, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) dog discovered mummified monkeys inside a visitor's bag who was returning from Africa, Hindustan Times reported.

The traveller said that the luggage had dried fish upon returning from a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but upon investigation at Boston Logan Airport, officials found four dead and dehydrated monkeys.

According to Ryan Bissette, a CBP spokesman, the tourist claimed to have brought the monkeys into the country for personal use on Sunday.

Raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals sometimes referred to as "bushmeat," is banned in the US because of the threat of disease.

"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," said Julio Caravia, the port director for Customs and Border Protection in the area.

Although the event occurred last month, word of it broke on Friday.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention designated approximately nine pounds (four kilogrammes) of bushmeat for destruction, Bissette said on Sunday, even though no charges had been brought. 

However, all of the luggage had been confiscated.