Customs officials seize giraffe poop from traveler at Minnesota airport

Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Customs officials in Minnesota seized a box of giraffe feces from a traveler who arrived from Kenya and said she planned to use the droppings to make a necklace.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the Iowa resident was selected for inspection by agriculture specialists upon arriving at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from a trip to Kenya.

"The passenger declared giraffe feces and stated she had obtained the droppings in Kenya and planned to make a necklace," CBP said in a news release. "The passenger also stated in the past she had used moose feces at her home in Iowa."

The CBP specialists seized the box and the contents were destroyed via steam sterilization.

"There is a real danger with bringing fecal matter into the U.S.," said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP's director of field operations for the 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."

CBP said any feces brought to the United States by an overseas traveler require a veterinary services permit.