Image Credit: U.S. Customs & Border Protection
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Two bird carcasses were found encased in cement statutes by border officials en route to Texas earlier this month.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists made this discovery in Memphis on October 8. The 22-pound shipment contained two dead birds and suspected Elaeis Guineensis seeds.
It was being shipped from Mexico City to Odessa, Texas and was labeled as a gift to a cousin “with crafts,” CBP said.
“To my knowledge, many of these types of ‘crafts’ are belief-based,” acting Memphis Area Port Director Michael Johnson said in a statement. “The Yoruba, Santería or Osha religions use them, and are meant for luck, or for curses. The cement statues were decorated with puka shells and contained the palm seeds and the carcasses.”
“Whether the shipments make sense or not, we vigilantly intercept all contraband and other prohibited items to safeguard the American public,” he added. “Hopefully our steam sterilization cleared away any bad spirits they may have drawn in.”
An X-ray revealed that the shipment contained three cement statues, each of which concealed organic material.
Once the statues were broken apart, two rotted bird carcasses were and seeds were discovered inside. The seeds were found to be from African palm trees and the types of birds could not be identified due to the already occurring decomposition.
The carcasses present a risk, according to officials, of introducing diseases such as Avian influenza. The birds and seeds were then destroyed by steam sterilization.
CBP discovered 264 pests at American ports of entry and 2,548 materials for quarantine, including plants, meat, animal byproducts and soil all in the fiscal year 2021.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
