Bones of African giraffes and zebras seized at US airport

Authorities seized an unusual souvenir at a Virginia airport: giraffe and zebra bones, which a Virginia woman was bringing home from a trip to Africa, authorities said.

The woman told Customs and Border Protection agents at Washington Dulles International Airport last month that she had a twig from an acacia tree, a highly recognizable thorny tree common on the African savannah. However, when officers sent her for further review, an X-ray of her bags turned up what CBP called “an anomaly,” and they updated their customs declaration to include zebra and giraffe bones, according to an agency news release. .

While authorities ultimately decided it was okay to bring the twig into the country, the US Fish and Wildlife Service told CBP to seize the bones, which the woman said she found in Kenya, saying bringing them in could violate rules designed to protect the nation’s agricultural industry. , pets and people.

The woman was not charged with any crime and was released, CBP said.

“I can appreciate travelers wanting to keep memories of their vacation,” said Kim Der-Yeghiayan, acting CBP area port director for Washington, DC “But those mementos could violate U.S. or international law, or potentially expose our families, pets, or our nation’s agricultural industries to serious animal or plant diseases.

Der-Yeghiayan said travelers must declare everything they bring into the United States.

“Customs and Border Protection strongly encourages all travelers to know what they can and cannot pack in their luggage before returning to or visiting the United States and to declare all items upon arrival,” Der-Yeghiayan said at the release.

On a typical day, CBP agriculture specialists across the country banned more than 4,500 plants, meat, animal by-products and soil, as well as hundreds of insect pests, the agency reported.