Five popular souvenirs you should never bring home

A queen conch shell on the beach. Photo / 123rf
When shopping for souvenirs, experts say, travellers can unwittingly cross ethical or legal lines, especially when purchasing items made from plants or animals.
“Some souvenirs are marketed as ‘traditional foods,’” Rob Perkins, a writer at Responsible Travel, a UK-based tour operator, says “but products like shark fin, civet coffee, whale meat and pangolin involve cruelty and, in some cases, illegal poaching and may threaten endangered species.”
A handful of materials are unquestionably illegal, such as elephant ivory and tiger skins. But even legal products from wild animals can have a dire “trickling effect on the health and survival of their habitats and other species that depend on their ecological functions”, said Sarah Veatch, director of wildlife policy for Humane Society International.
In its Travelers’ Health section, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises travelers “to avoid contact with unfamiliar animals and their products, including gifts or souvenirs made of animal products that might not have been treated to ensure their safety”.
Even if a shopkeeper guarantees the souvenir is legitimate, the country you are returning home to might not agree.
“Many travellers assume that wildlife products sold openly must be legal, but this is not the case,” Veatch said. “Travellers attempting to bring these products into their home countries can face legal trouble, including seizures, fines or even jail time.”
Before travelers purchase a souvenir, the World Wildlife Fund recommends that they ask the retailer about the item’s materials and provenance, whether the country allows the item to be exported, and whether your home country requires documents.
Different countries might have their own wildlife regulations but for a good overview of import rules, the US Customs and Border Protection has a list of banned and regulated products and the US Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) covers more than 40,000 species.
Here are five common travel souvenirs you should be aware of.
Sometimes costing upward of $800 for half a kilo, civet coffee is one of the world’s most expensive coffees, a splurge sold in tourist shops throughout Southeast Asia. It’s also one of the most unethical souvenirs a traveller can bring home, according to animal welfare groups.
Advocates for sustainable and eco-friendly travel say the coffee, which originated in Indonesia, is produced inhumanely. The tourist attractions confine the palm civets – a catlike carnivore – in small, barren cages and force-feed them coffee cherries, which they partially digest and expel, creating the supposedly rare bean. Last spring, the Civet Project released a short film exposing the cruel conditions inflicted on the animals. The nonprofit group urges travelers not to buy the coffee, a message that applies to a wide range of products aimed at unsuspecting tourists.
In the Caribbean and Bermuda, markets and shops sell piles of queen conchs, their interiors as pink and glossy as nail polish. The gastropods might appear abundant, but they are under duress in certain waters.
CITES bans conchs from countries that have not addressed their diminishing stocks, such as Grenada and Haiti. In Florida, you cannot purchase a shell with a living conch inside or with an off-centre hole larger than a sixteenth of an inch in diameter through its spire.
Earlier this year, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries department listed the queen conch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act [in the US]. The agency said it is likely to become in danger of extinction “within the foreseeable future”.
As for other seashells, Veatch said, commercial collectors may sweep the ocean floor, capturing unintended creatures and disrupting the aquatic habitat. Some of the shells might be the current – or future – residences of sea life.
If you fancy some shells, don’t go overboard, or you could attract the attention of Customs. In December 2021, US authorities seized more than 500 aquatic items from a pair of Caribbean cruisers. Their stash included five queen conch shells.
In some traditional markets and shops in Mexico, travellers might come across “chuparosa”, small packets of dried hummingbird parts sold as love charms. According to ancient lore, the tiny birds possess magic powers that rival Cupid’s bow. Bringing them to New Zealand, however, may bring you bad luck. Or worse, a big fine.
In an online post about chuparosas, Lori Choquette, a special agent with the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Intelligence Unit, warned that “illegal importation of wildlife into the US also risks the spread of zoonotic diseases to endemic wildlife and human populations”.
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“Feathers are a huge draw for tourists,” Veatch said, “but any product from a species listed under the Endangered Species Act, including a feather, falls under that kind of protection.”
Over the years, animal welfare groups have raised the alarm on camel rides in the Middle East and North Africa, pointing out how some of the pack animals are sick, dehydrated and overworked.
Travellers should also be aware of products made of camel parts, such as hide and bone as it’s hard to confirm whether the farms are treating the animals humanely.
“Farming animals – domesticated or wild – still has a lot of welfare concerns and issues, and a lot of violations,” she said. “In many places, animal welfare regulations are still inadequate,” Veatch said.
Bags, shoes, jewellery and mirrors accessorised with camel parts might not be labelled as such or might not identify the type of animal at all. Ask the vendor if you’re suspicious, and if you don’t feel confident in the answer, walk away.
Roughly 20 years ago, the United Nations banned the export of caviar from the beluga sturgeon, whose Caspian Sea population was rapidly dwindling. A year later, the agency reversed its decision. The United States, however, still forbids bringing in the roe from this threatened species.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature in the US, which publishes a red list of threatened species, determined that “critically endangered” beluga sturgeon stock has fallen by more than 90% over three decades. Its numbers are still “decreasing”, the agency stated. The industry is experimenting with no-kill egg extraction for caviar, but the process is still in its infancy.
When entering the US, travellers can carry 125g of caviar, but they must prove that the eggs came from an approved fish species. To avoid confusion or confiscation, make sure the label is nonreusable and features the name of the processing or packing plant. The tin must be sealed shut to assure the officer that the contents are as advertised.
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