Warning: this article may contain images of dead animals that some people may find distressing
Consistently ranking among the world’s busiest airports, Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Illinois welcomed a jaw-dripping 48.3 million passengers through its doors in the first seven months of 2025, as per CBS News.
Considered the ‘most connected’ airport in the United States, O’Hare has seen its fare share of trouble over the past year, including having to cancel almost 100 flights over the holidays during to severe weather warnings.
Earlier this year, police confirmed that a shooting had taken place outside a terminal after several people got on a fight, while the City of Chicago continued to clash with American Airlines over gate assignments.
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To say it’s been a busy one for O’Hare staff is an understatement. But the year isn’t over until it’s over.
Last week, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials working at the international airport announced it has seized a guest’s bizarre luggage.
It’s understood that the passenger’s bag contained some illegal items that were soon destroyed.
The flyer was travelling back from Congo with a heavy bag, featuring 11 lbs. (4.98kg) of beans that were infested by pests and 17 lbs. (7.71kg) of unknown plants.
People with a sensitive disposition are advised to look away now.
The odd items continued, with CBP officials writing on X that they had also seized mummified small primates from the travellers case.
This ‘deeply disturbing’ update was provided alongside four pictures of the dried and bound beasts.
And the final thing they snatched? 4 lbs. (1.81kg) of non-human primate meat. Yes, you did read that right: non-human primate meat was being flown in from Congo to Chicago last week.
It’s yet to be confirmed exactly what kind of primate the meat was from.
The CBP confirmed that they ‘believed the food they were bringing in’ to America was ‘fine’.
“It was not,” officials bluntly confirmed.
After confiscating and destroying the items, the agency has stressed that such products are banned from bringing into the United States.
This is because they may be harbouring ‘dangerous diseases’ and the risk of ‘introducing pests’ into the country, as per the International Business Times.
The passenger, who has not been named, has not been charged with any crime, the CBP confirmed.
Why is primate meat banned in the United States?
Any meat that comes from wild animals in certain regions of the world, including Africa and other areas, is known as ‘bushmeat’.
The umbrella term is used to describe non-human primate meat, as well as the bodies of rodents, bats, and duiker, a type of antelope.
It is illegal to bring bushmeat into the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is because the bushmeat could be infected with germs that can cause sickness in people.
The agency wrote that bushmeat, in any amount, found at US ports of entry will be destroyed along with any personal items that may have come in contact with the bushmeat.
There is also a whopping $250,000 (£185,352) fine for bringing bushmeat into the United States.
Ella Scott