Customs officials seize giraffe poop at MSP airport; passenger wanted to turn it into a necklace

A woman's plan to make one-of-a-kind jewelry was quashed at at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday when customs officials seized a box containing giraffe feces.

The Iowa woman, who was not identified, was returning from Kenya. She declared the material and told curious agricultural specialists with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that she planned to make a necklace. She said she's used moose droppings in the past for a similar project.

"There is a real danger with bringing fecal matter into the U.S.," including the high possibility of contracting disease, said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations at CBP's Chicago Field Office.

African swine fever, classical swine fever, Newcastle disease, foot and mouth disease and swine vesicular disease are all present in Kenya, according to customs officials. A special permit is required to bring ruminant animal feces into the United States.

After seizing the box, specialists destroyed the giraffe excrement using the approved method of steam sterilization, a statement said.