U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport made a startling discovery in the luggage of a passenger arriving from Africa in December 2025. The contents, which included what officials described as "nonhuman primate meat," were immediately confiscated as prohibited items.
Unusual Contents in a Traveler's Bag
According to a post on X from December 18, 2025, by CBP's Chicago field office, the passenger was arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo. During a routine inspection, officers found several concerning items. The luggage contained 11 pounds of beans that were infested with live pests and 17 pounds of unidentified plant material.
However, the most unusual find was approximately four pounds of meat from a nonhuman primate. Photographs released by CBP showed what appeared to be several small, mummified primates among the confiscated goods.
Passenger's Belief and Official Response
Customs officials stated that the traveler "believed the food they were bringing in was fine." The agency's response was blunt: "It was not." All the agricultural products and the bush meat were deemed prohibited for entry into the United States.
The Chicago field office confirmed that the items were not only seized but also destroyed to prevent any potential biohazard or introduction of pests or disease.
Public Reaction and Cultural Context
The CBP's social media post sparked significant reaction online. Many X users expressed shock, with some commenting on the appearance of the "meat," with one noting it looked like a "charred mummy" and another wondering about the smell. References were made to pop culture, including the infamous monkey brains scene from the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
However, the discussion also provided some cultural context. One commenter explained that the processing method—salting and smoking meat over fire for days—is a traditional preservation technique in some parts of Africa where refrigeration is not always available. The commenter, claiming to have tried such bush meat, described monkey as tasting similar to dark meat chicken, though they cautioned that other types, like porcupine, could be less palatable.
This incident highlights the strict regulations surrounding the import of animal and agricultural products, which are designed to protect local ecosystems and public health from foreign pests and diseases.
