06 October 2023 , 14:54
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A holidaymaker wanting to make a unique necklace has been stopped from importing giraffe poo into the country. The woman was stopped at St Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, with the droppings in her luggage.
Confused, the airport customs officials asked her why she was trying to bring it into the country following her trip to Kenya. She told them she wanted to turn it into a wacky necklace - and has previously used moose faeces to fashion into jewellery accessories in the past.
A US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said: "The passenger declared giraffe faeces and stated she had obtained the droppings in Kenya and planned to make a necklace. The passenger also stated in the past she had used moose faeces at her home in Iowa."
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The giraffe poo was destroyed by steam sterilisation (AP)The woman was selected for inspection by agriculture specialists at the airport - and the giraffe poo was destroyed by steam sterilisation, in accordance with protocol. LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP's director of field operations for the Chicago Field Office, said: “There is a real danger with bringing faecal matter into the US.
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“If this person had entered the US 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.” They said that a veterinary services permit is required for any faeces brought into the country by an overseas traveller.
Augustine Moore, CBP Area Port Director-Minnesota, said: “CBP’s agriculture specialists mitigate the threat of non-native pests, diseases, and contaminants entering the United States. “CBP agriculture specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological and agriculture sciences, they inspect travellers and cargo arriving in the United States by air, land, and seaports of entry.”