Canaries Found In Baggage At Washington Dulles Airport

DULLES, VA — HairE, an agriculture detector dog with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, sniffed out two yellow canaries and a load crabapples recently in the luggage of a traveler arriving from Albania at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to a release.

Working in the baggage retrieval floor on Oct. 9, HairE alerted customs officers to one of the traveler's bags. When questioned if the traveler was carrying any agriculture products, the traveler admitted to possessing two live canaries in a birdcage. After inspecting the traveler's bags, CBP agriculture specialists discovered 9 pounds of crabapples and quince.

The fruit was destroyed, and customs officials consulted with U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services about what to do about the live canaries, which are susceptible to pathogenic avian influenza. USDA regulates the importation of live birds to combat pathogenic viruses.

Travelers wishing to transport live birds into the U.S. must first obtain certifications from the their home country health and veterinary officials confirming the birds are disease free, according to officials. Travelers must also obtain import permits from USDA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The birds must also remain in quarantine for 30 days.

The traveler from Albania did not have any of the necessary paperwork, authorities said. USDA officials offered the traveler the chance to import the canaries properly, but the traveler opted to abandon the birds, and the USDA took possession of them.

“Customs and Border Protection detector dogs are critical to safeguarding our nation’s agricultural industries in that they can quickly and easily detect prohibited agriculture products that travelers may or may not declare,” said Casey Durst, director of field operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office, in the release. “CBP’s agriculture protection mission is vital to our nation’s economic security by detecting the extraordinary threat posed by invasive insects and highly pathogenic animal and plant diseases to our nation’s agricultural resources.”