Survivor Artifacts Seized By American Customs Department
December 16, 2008 03:00:43 by Paulene Hinds
A contaminated monkey skull, termite-infested statues and other African artifacts of the TV show Survivor will not be allowed into the United States. The items were seized by customs inspectors in Houston the Associated Press reported. The finale of Survivor: Gabon was shown on CBS this past Sunday.
The items were seized on November 18 due to concern that they were contaminated with pests and disease that could harm United States agriculture, according to officials. Among the contents of the container belonging to the Survivor reality show were Civet cat hides which are suspected of spreading severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to humans and wooden statues infested with termites.
The restricted goods were fumigated by the Agriculture Department, said Customs spokeswoman Yolanda Chaotes. She said the prohibited items were sent away from the United States and no decision has been made about penalties on the importer.
Jeffery Baldwin Senior, Custom's director of field operations at the Houston port, told the Associated Press, "Introducing an exotic disease or pest could harm our citizens or devastate our agriculture crops."
Officials from Survivor did not return immediate requests for comment.
For other great Survivor: Gabon news, please feel free to check out SirLinksALot: Survivor Gabon. Discuss on our reality TV message boards. You can also read more about each of this season's contestants by checking out our Survivor bios page.
