Man stopped at Newark Airport bringing in 9 pounds of bushmeat

I can’t even get on a plane with a bottle of shampoo but some guy from Ghana flew into Newark with nine pounds of what they call “bushmeat.” What is bushmeat, you ask? Basically, it’s meat from a bunch of animals no one in this country wants to eat.

According to National Geographic, “It most often refers to the remains of animals killed in the forests and savannas of Africa. African people have long hunted bats, monkeys, rats, snakes, and other wild animals for sustenance.” When you see the word bat associated with human consumption, it immediately makes you think of Wuhan, doesn’t it?

The guy with the bushmeat apparently didn’t think he was doing anything wrong because he declared it to customs officials upon landing, but the Centers for Disease Control told the customs agents to seize and destroy the meat. A spokesman for the Customs and Border Patrol said in a statement, “CBP Agriculture Specialists made critical interceptions of these prohibited animal products and stopped them from entering the United States before they could potentially cause grave damage to our agricultural and economic vitality.”

The man from Ghana didn’t get in any trouble since he had declared it; bushmeat is illegal to bring into the country since it has the potential to spread diseases like Ebola.

The statement from the CPB says, “Animal disease outbreaks are a threat to the United States that can adversely affect public health, cause global trade halts, and destabilize the economy and our nation’s food supply.” It wasn’t made known exactly which animals were in his cargo of bushmeat.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.