JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents say they’re seeing an increase in travelers bringing the meat of wild animals -- known as bushmeat -- into the United States from various countries in Africa.
CBP said that in recent weeks, agents have seized more than 100 pounds of bushmeat that came into the U.S. on commercial flights, and that’s raising concerns.
“It could actually have the potential of spreading serious diseases like Ebola, monkeypox or other infectious diseases that could spread between wildlife and people,” said Chief Lauren Lewis with CBP.
Lewis works out of the CBP Minneapolis, Minnesota office and she oversees agriculture flown into the Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport before it leaves the airport or is loaded onto connecting flights to other airports, including airports in Florida. Lewis gave News4JAX a description of what bushmeat comes from.
“Bushmeat is going to be wild harvested meats. It can come from monkeys, bats, certain types of birds, large game and even from elephants,” Lewis said.
According to CBP, some travelers entering the country with bushmeat have declared it as fish meat, when it was discovered to be something other than fish. Most packages are wrapped in multiple layers of newspaper, plastic, foil, and tape.
“The intermingling of fish and bushmeat in the same package is common,” Lewis said.
But there is a danger to this meat coming into the country, especially if it has been undercooked or not cooked at all.
“Anyone who comes into contact with the meat or contaminated fluids from the meat could potentially spread these diseases,” Lewis said.
According to the CBP, naturalized U.S. citizens who are visiting their home countries are primarily the people traveling back to the U.S. with bushmeat.
“What we’ve seen, for the most part, is for personal consumption. Now, it is possible that people are bringing it back for commercial sales,” Lewis said.
While some travelers are unknowingly bringing dangerous meat into the U.S. after purchasing it at meat markets in Africa and actually believing they purchased fish, investigators said others are smuggling bushmeat into the country by mixing it with items in their luggage that are considered acceptable.
“We know what it looks like. We know what it smells like. As soon as the bag is opened, we can tell,” Lewis said.
CBP told News4JAX the reason why it is seeing more bushmeat coming into the country by way of commercial flights is because of lifted COVID travel restrictions, meaning more people are now able to take vacations or visit family in countries where exotic wildlife is hunted for its meat.
But it’s not just commercial flights into the U.S. CBP said they are also intercepting bushmeat coming into the US by way of air couriers and cargo ships.
People caught smuggling bushmeat into the country can face fines up to $250,000 – but fines are generally given to repeat offenders.