US officials seize giraffe dung from woman returning from Kenya

A passenger returning to the United States from Kenya who was stopped for inspection by agricultural specialists at Saint Paul International Airport on September 29 was found carrying giraffe faecal material.

According to US Customs and Border Protection, the woman told them she wanted to make jewellery out of giraffe droppings she picked up on a trip to Kenya and took to the US in her luggage.

Local news agencies reported that the woman declared the small box of dung at the airport.

The woman, who has not been identified, told officials she wanted to use the waste to make a necklace, as she had done in the past with moose droppings.

Giraffe waste can be taken to the US with the proper permits and inspections, according to Minnesota Public Radio. The station reported that the woman will not face any penalties because she declared the dung and turned it over to customs.

Destroyed the giraffe dung

The agency's agricultural specialists destroyed the giraffe dung.

“There is a real danger with bringing faecal matter into the U.S.,” Customs and Border Protection’s Chicago field Director LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke said in a statement.

“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.”

African swine fever, classical swine fever, Newcastle disease, foot-and-mouth disease and swine vesicular disease are among the diseases in Kenya that US Customs cited as risks.

CBP said any faeces taken to the United States by an overseas traveller require a veterinary permit.