Rodent and Monkey Meat Confiscated at Detroit Metro—60 Pounds Total

Over 60 pounds of…let’s just say “interesting” meat were seized at Detroit Metro Airport twice in one week. More like disgusting, but I guess it depends on who you're talking to.

The first incident involved 11 pounds of rodent meat from Togo, a country in West Africa. Just days later, customs officials discovered 52 pounds of primate meat from Gabon, which the passenger had tried to pass off as antelope. Nice try.

According to WDIV, both passengers were also carrying additional undeclared agricultural items, because apparently, one illegal food item is not enough.

These bushmeat interceptions are a pretty big deal because people are still trying to sneak wild animals into the United States. For anyone wondering, bushmeat is not some fancy new protein trend. It is meat from wild animals like bats, monkeys, and cane rats, and it is illegal because it could carry diseases nobody wants to catch...nobody.

See Also: Coyotes Are Out of Control in Michigan – Year-Round Hunting Is Back

Rodent bushmeat pops up at Detroit Metro now and then, but primate meat is way rarer. Customs also come across all kinds of weird stuff like live giant snails, animal skulls, and other exotic foods. Most of the time, it is not done with bad intentions, but some things really should not be coming into the country. Keeping certain food and animal products out is just common sense if we want to avoid a public health nightmare.

And here I am worrying that I accidentally have more than three ounces of deodorant or shampoo in my carry-on while people are trying to sneak 60 pounds of monkey and rat meat through the airport.