Agricultural officials with Customs and Border Protection seized a Fauquier County woman’s unusual souvenirs, zebra and giraffe bones from Kenya, at Dulles International Airport last month, the agency announced Friday.
Upon her arrival at Dulles on Nov. 10, the unnamed woman initially claimed that she was bringing a twig from an Acacia tree, but a secondary baggage examination uncovered giraffe and zebra bones she had also brought with her from Kenya.
The Fauquier County resident then amended her customs declaration and was let go — without the bones. The woman does not face any criminal charges.
CBP agents detained the bones in the interim, checking with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to see if the remains were admissible into the country. On Nov. 17, the FWS determined that the bones violated international treaties and federal law regarding endangered species, and the bones were seized.
“I can appreciate travelers wanting to keep souvenirs of their vacations, but those souvenirs could violate United States or international law, or potentially expose our families, pets or our nation’s agriculture industries to serious animal or plant diseases,” CBP Acting Area Port Director for Washington D.C. Kim Der-Yeghiayan said in the CBP announcement.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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