Last flight
On 1 November, border protection agriculture specialists (CBPAS) at the Louisville port of entry intercepted a shipment from Nigeria heading to a residence in West Palm Beach, Florida. The shipment was manifested as “yam flour sponge”, hoping to avoid detection.
A physical examination by CBPAS yielded 41 dead bats and 41 dead birds. The shipment was referred to the CDC for adjudication, which ordered the shipment to be destroyed. Local US Fish & Wildlife identified the bats as straw coloured fruit bats (eidolon helvum) and village weavers (ploceus cucullatus).
Bats are known carriers of infectious biological agents such as Ebola, Marburg haemorrhagic fever, sudden acute severe respiratory syndrome (Sars) and rabies, while dead birds have the potential for introducing diseases such as Newcastle disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) which are both highly contagious diseases among avians. (cj)