Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/UCG
Topics: US News
Joe Yates
Warning: this article may contain images of dead animals that some people may find distressing
One of the busiest airports in the United States has added another jaw-dropping incident to an already turbulent year.
Border control staff at Chicago O’Hare International Airport would probably think they've seen it all, with more than 100 million passengers estimated to pass through the gates each year. But earlier this month, they got a rather nasty surprise.
That's after a visitor thought it was 'fine' to bring 'non-human primate meat' in their luggage. Imagine the fright the customs officer received after unzipping the bag to find a corpse sitting in it!
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Yes, that's what Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chicago uncovered, which has left even its most seasoned officers stunned.
Officers at O'Hare, which boasts the most runways in the world with eight, stopped a passenger arriving from Congo after noticing their suitcase was unusually heavy.
When officers opened the bag, they found something far more disturbing than a simple customs violation.
According to CBP, the suitcase contained 11 pounds of beans infested with live pests, along with 17 pounds of unidentified plant material...but that was only the beginning.
In a post shared on X, CBP revealed that officers also discovered several mummified small primates inside the luggage, while photos released by the agency show the dried animals bound together.
Roughly four pounds of non-human primate meat was in the bag - meat that had allegedly been packed into a suitcase and flown thousands of miles from Central Africa to Chicago.
CBP's post read: "A passenger from Congo believed the food they were bringing was fine; it was not. In the passenger's suitcase O'Hare Agriculture Specialists found 11lbs of beans w/ pests, 17lbs of unknown plants, & 4lbs of nonhuman primate meat. These items are prohibited, seized, & destroyed."
Despite the disturbing nature of the discovery, CBP confirmed the passenger - who has not been publicly identified - was not charged with a criminal offense.
So, why is primate meat illegal in the United States?
Meat taken from wild animals in certain parts of the world, including regions of Africa, is commonly known as 'bushmeat'. It includes non-human primates as well as animals like rodents, bats, and duiker - a small species of antelope.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that bushmeat can harbor viruses and bacteria capable of causing serious - and sometimes deadly - illnesses in humans.