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The short answer
It is illegal to bring bushmeat into the United States, in any amount. The CDC defines bushmeat as raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals such as cane rats (grasscutter), monkeys and bats; at ports of entry it is destroyed along with any personal items that touched it, and the CDC's page cites a $250,000 fine.
What the ban says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US public health agency, is blunt on its animal products page (dated 28 April 2026): "It is illegal to bring bushmeat into the United States." It describes bushmeat as raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals, and names cane rats, nonhuman primates and bats as examples. For a Nigerian traveller that list reads like a market stall: grasscutter (the cane rat), monkey, and fruit bat are all sold as bush meat in parts of the country, often smoked.
The CDC page sets out what happens next:
- bushmeat found at a US port of entry is destroyed, whatever the quantity;
- any personal items that came into contact with it are destroyed too, which can mean the bag, the cooler or the clothes it was wrapped in; and
- the page lists a $250,000 fine for bringing bushmeat into the US.
Why it is banned
The CDC regulates animal imports for public health reasons. Its page lists African rodents, nonhuman primates and bats among the animals it regulates or restricts, and even trophies from those animals need a CDC permit unless the importer shows they have been made noninfectious, for example with a taxidermy certificate bearing an official government stamp. Unprocessed primate and bat trophies go through the CDC's Import Permit Program, and even bat guano needs an import permit. If a mounted, treated trophy needs that level of paperwork, raw or smoked meat from the same animals has no route in at all.
The concern is disease that passes from animals to people. Wild animals, slaughtered and handled outside any inspection system, can carry infections that farmed meat is checked for. The detail of particular outbreaks is beyond this article; the point for travellers is that the CDC treats these species as a public health risk, and the rules follow from that.
Smoked, dried, or cooked: does it make a difference?
Not in practice. The CDC's definition covers minimally processed meat, and smoking or drying is how bushmeat usually travels. Separately, CBP's agricultural page says many fresh, dried and some canned meats are prohibited, and that products containing restricted meat, such as beef broth, are usually prohibited. A pot of pepper soup made with grasscutter, frozen and packed in a cooler, is still meat from a CDC-restricted animal, and CBP's list of things to declare explicitly includes soup.
| Item | Position | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Smoked grasscutter, monkey or bat | illegal to bring in; destroyed; fine cited | CDC |
| Soup or stew made with bushmeat | treated as bushmeat; must be declared | CDC, CBP |
| Dried beef, goat or chicken (kilishi, dried meat) | many dried meats prohibited; declare | CBP, USDA |
| Stockfish, dried fish, crayfish | not bushmeat; declare and inspector decides | CBP, FDA |
| Trophy from a primate, bat or African rodent | CDC permit unless shown noninfectious | CDC |
Declaring is not a defence for bushmeat
For most Nigerian foodstuff the safe course is to declare and let an inspector decide. Bushmeat is different: declaring it means it is destroyed rather than found, which is better than being caught, but it will not be admitted. CBP adds that civil penalties for failing to declare agricultural items can reach $1,000 for a first-time, non-commercial offence, and much more for commercial quantities, and that the same penalties apply to prohibited products sent by international mail. Parcels from home are not a way round the ban.
For a shop owner, the risk is larger. A business that sells bushmeat it imported, or sources it from someone who smuggled it, is dealing in an item the CDC says is illegal to bring in. Keep it off the shelf and out of the freezer, and tell suppliers in Nigeria not to pack it into mixed consignments. A shipment that contains it may draw attention to everything else in the container.
What to tell relatives who want to send it
- Do not pack bushmeat, in any form, in a suitcase or parcel to the US.
- Do not hide it among other foodstuff; anything it touches can be destroyed.
- Send foodstuff that can be inspected and admitted instead, such as dry egusi, ogbono or spices, and declare them; see bringing egusi, ogbono and crayfish.
- If the food is for resale, it is an import and needs FDA prior notice; see FDA rules for Nigerian foodstuff.
Where Pryme fits
If the goal is a taste of home for an occasion in Nigeria, it is often easier to pay for the meal there. With a Pryme account opened from the US you can hold naira and send it to family or a caterer, or Swap dollars when you choose; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve. See multicurrency accounts.
Questions people ask
Can I bring smoked grasscutter to the US?
No. The CDC names cane rats among the animals whose raw or minimally processed meat counts as bushmeat, and says it is illegal to bring bushmeat into the US in any amount.
What is the fine for bushmeat at a US airport?
The CDC's page lists a $250,000 fine. The meat, and any personal items that touched it, are destroyed.
Is stockfish bushmeat?
No. Stockfish and other dried fish are not bushmeat. They must still be declared and are subject to inspection.
Can bushmeat be posted to the US?
No. The ban applies however it arrives, and CBP says its penalties apply to prohibited products sent by international mail.
Sources
- CDC: Bringing animal products into the United States (28 Apr 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- CBP: Bringing agricultural products into the United States (last modified 1 May 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.