Giraffe and zebra bones from Africa seized at U.S. airport

Authorities seized an unusual souvenir at a Virginia airport: giraffe and zebra bones, which a Virginia woman was bringing home from a trip to Africa, officials said.

The woman told Customs and Border Protection agents at Washington Dulles International Airport last month she had a twig from an acacia tree — a highly recognizable thorny tree common on the African savannah. When officers sent her for additional screening, however, an X-ray of her bags turned up what CBP called "an anomaly," and she updated her customs declaration to include zebra and giraffe bones, according to a news release from the agency.

While authorities ultimately decided the twig was OK to bring into the country, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told CBP to seize the bones, which the woman said she found in Kenya, saying bringing them in could violate rules aimed at protecting the nation's agricultural industry, pets and people.