A woman was stopped by Customs and Border Patrol officers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last week after she was found with giraffe poop that she planned to make into a necklace, officials said.
The droppings were seized by border officials on Sept. 29 after a woman returning from Kenya declared the animal feces, prompting an inspection by CBP agriculture specialists, according to the agency.
The passenger stated that she obtained the droppings while on her trip and intended to make a necklace.
She told CBP officers that she had previously used moose poop to make jewelry at her home in Iowa.
The giraffe poop was taken and “destroyed” by steam sterilization, per USDA protocol, officials said.
“There is a real danger with bringing fecal matter into the U.S.,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, CBP Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office.
“If this person had entered the U.S. and had not declared these items, there is high possibility a person could have contracted a disease from this jewelry and developed serious health issues,” she said in the statement.
Animal feces from Kenya could contain African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, Newcastle disease, Foot and Mouth disease, and Swine Vesicular Disease, CBP said.
A Veterinary Services Permit is required to bring feces into the United States.