A post from Customs and Border Protection featuring a snarling, dried primate corpse removed from a traveler’s luggage has sparked renewed scrutiny over illegal bushmeat smuggling into major U.S. airports.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in Chicago said agriculture specialists at O’Hare International Airport seized prohibited food items from a passenger arriving from the Congo, including what the agency described as nonhuman primate meat, after a post by the agency’s Chicago office drew more than one million views within 24 hours on X.
“A passenger from Congo believed the food they were bringing was fine; it was not. In the passenger’s suitcase O’Hare Agriculture Specialists found 11lbs of beans w/ pests, 17lbs of unknown plants, & 4lbs of nonhuman primate meat. These items are prohibited, seized, & destroyed,” the CBP Chicago account wrote on December 18, 2025.
The post was accompanied by photographs showing what appears to be a dried black primate carcass with exposed teeth, images that circulated widely as users reacted with alarm and disgust. CBP did not identify the passenger or specify whether any charges or fines were issued, saying only that the items were seized and destroyed.
Federal health and customs agencies warn that so-called bushmeat — meat from wild animals such as bats, monkeys, and rodents — poses potential public health risks and is illegal to import into the United States. In a September 2025 alert, CBP stated that bushmeat “could be infected with germs that can cause sickness in people, including the Ebola Virus disease,” and cited federal regulations barring its entry into the country.
The alert highlighted that several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, are classified as higher risk for small shipments of illegal bushmeat that may be mislabeled and routed to major U.S. cities such as Chicago, Dallas, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated that air carriers are responsible for adhering to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for handling and disposing of such items when they are discovered.
Customs officials have previously reported similar interceptions at other ports of entry. In August 2025, agriculture specialists at Detroit Metropolitan Airport seized multiple loads of bushmeat, including primate and rodent meat, in separate incidents within one week, according to a report published at the time by The Dallas Express. In that case, CBP officials said the meat was turned over to the CDC and that the travelers were fined for failing to declare prohibited items.
Public health agencies have indicated there are no confirmed cases of Americans contracting disease from confiscated bushmeat, but they continue to warn that illegal imports create avoidable risks.
