CNN
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Federal officials made a horrifying and unexpected discovery in an unmanned bag at a Detroit airport last week.
The bag contained the skull of a juvenile dolphin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. news release Friday.
The bag was separated from its owner during the trip, and when it arrived in the United States, a routine inspection at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport revealed what appeared to be a skull-shaped object, CBP said in a release. Stated.
“Further investigation by CBP and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel determined that the skull belonged to a juvenile dolphin,” the statement said.
The skull was turned over to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors for further investigation.
“Possession of wildlife, especially protected animals, is prohibited,” regional port director Robert Larkin said in a statement. “We take wildlife smuggling seriously and work closely with our federal partners at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect wildlife and their habitats.”
There are restrictions and requirements for importing and exporting certain fish, wildlife, and products derived from them. This is not the first time U.S. authorities have made similar seizures.
In December, CBP agents seized zebra and giraffe bones from a woman at Washington’s Dulles International Airport. A woman traveling from Kenya kept the bones as souvenirs, officials said at the time.
