Fox Head Seized At Philadelphia International Airport

PHILADELPHIA — Customs officials at the Philadelphia International Airport seized a fox head recently that a Senegalese traveler brought to the country.

According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), on Sept. 12 agriculture specialists saw an animal's skull through an x-ray exam of a Senegalese mother and daughter’s baggage.

The 8-inch skull had hair and teeth, officials said.

The women told officials they were bringing the skull for a family member who wanted it to ward off spirits.

CBP agriculture specialists advised the travelers that the fox head would be detained pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) admissibility determination.

Ultimately, the travelers decided to leave the fox head with customs.

USFWS inspectors identified the skull as belonging to an African fox, Vulpes pallida, and CBP turned over the fox head to USFWS for violating numerous federal animal and animal product import requirements.