U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia seized a bag of tiny dead birds from a passenger arriving from China late last month amid growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
In a release published on Monday, CBP confirmed that the unidentified traveler arrived on a flight from Beijing on January 27.
During a baggage examination, CBP agriculture specialists found a package with pictures of a cat and dog on it that the passenger claimed was cat food. However, inside were several unknown small birds ranging from approximately 2.5 to 3.5 inches in length.
The dead birds, which are prohibited for import due to the potential threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza, were seized on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and destroyed by incineration.
"These dead birds are prohibited from importation to the United States as unprocessed birds pose a potentially significant disease threat to our nation's poultry industries and more alarmingly to our citizens as potential vectors of avian influenza," said Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations for CBP's Baltimore Field Office, in a statement. "Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists continue to exercise extraordinary vigilance every day in their fight to protect our nation's agricultural and economic prosperity from invasive pests and animal diseases."
While certainly concerning, seizures like this one aren't at all uncommon. In a typical day last year, CBP agriculture specialists across the nation seized 4,695 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproduct and soil, and intercepted 314 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry, the agency said.
Last year, CBP officers stopped a man attempting to smuggle 35 pounds of liquid cocaine inside of shampoo bottles at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In 2018, a traveler was caught trying to smuggle 70 live birds in a carry-on bag at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
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