American woman wanted to import safari giraffe feces

The woman who returned from Kenya was selected last week for a check at the airport of Minneapolis (Minnesota), the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Thursday (local time).

When asked if she had anything to announce, the woman replied that she had brought a special souvenir. The clump-shaped feces were inside a small box along with a shell, as seen in an image released by customs:

Already made moose poop chain
The passenger said she wanted to make a necklace out of it, something she had already done in her native Iowa with moose feces. The officials confiscated the giraffe’s feces and properly destroyed it using superheated steam, the report said.

The woman took part in a safari in Kenya, local media report. She was not fined because she declared the box to customs and then voluntarily surrendered it. Otherwise, a fine of 300 to 1000 dollars (about 285 to 950 euros) would have been due. “We were really a bit shocked,” the MPR station quoted a customs official as saying. “We don’t see something like that every day.”

Feces carry many dangers
“Bringing feces into the United States is a real danger,” said another customs spokeswoman. Such a chain could most likely have caused someone to contract a disease and develop serious health problems. Therefore, importing ruminant feces into the U.S. requires approval from veterinary authorities. Kenya is affected by African swine fever and foot and mouth disease.