MINNEAPOLIS, USA: Federal customs agents detained the plans of an Iowa woman who wanted to make jewellery from giraffe faeces she picked up on a trip to Kenya and brought back to the U.S. in her luggage.
The woman declared the small box of faeces during the inspection of her belongings upon arriving at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The woman explained that she intended to use the giraffe waste for necklace crafting, a practice she had previously employed with moose faeces. Minnesota Public Radio noted that giraffe poop can be legally brought into the U.S. with appropriate permits and inspections. The woman faced no penalties as she declared the faeces, and Customs took possession of it.
However, the agency’s agriculture specialists opted to destroy the giraffe poop, emphasizing the genuine risk associated with importing faecal matter into the U.S. Chicago Field Director LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke of Customs and Border Protection expressed concerns, stating, “There is a real danger with bringing faecal matter into the U.S. If this person had entered the U.S. and had not declared these items, there is a high possibility a person could have contracted a disease from this jewellery and developed serious health issues.”
Customs highlighted various diseases prevalent in Kenya, such as African swine fever, classical swine fever, Newcastle disease, foot-and-mouth disease, and swine vesicular disease, as potential risks associated with imported giraffe faeces.
