A U.S. Customs and Border Protection beagle named Hardy detected a roasted pig's head in checked luggage at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Hardy, a six-year-old rescue beagle, alerted his handler to a bag belonging to a traveler from Ecuador. Inside was the pig’s head, which weighed nearly 2 pounds.
The director of the Port of Atlanta for Customs and Border Protection, Carey Davis, issued a statement saying the seizure demonstrates "the tremendous expertise of our four-legged K-9 partners in protecting the United States."
The agency seized the pig's head and destroyed it, saying pork and pork products from other continents are prohibited from entering the United States to prevent the introduction of diseases like classical swine fever, foot and mouth disease and swine vesicular disease.
Travelers are supposed to declare fruit, vegetable and food products to Customs and present them for inspection.
Hardy, a member of the Customs and Border Protection “Beagle Brigade,” got his job in 2015 after training at the National Detectors Dog Training Center in Newnan, Georgia.
Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
It’s not the first time a beagle has intercepted a pig at Hartsfield-Jackson.
In 2016, a K9 beagle named Joey detected a whole roasted pig in the baggage of a traveler from Peru.
Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
About the Author
