U.S. authorities surprised by cow dung cakes left in baggage

Two cow dung cakes were found in an abandoned suitcase following an Air India flight to Washington Dulles International Airport last month, according to a report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP said the items were promptly destroyed and that the owner of the luggage had not yet been identified.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announces on its website that two cow dung cakes were found in an abandoned suitcase following a flight from India to Washington Dulles International Airport on April 4, 2021. [Screenshot taken from U.S. Customs and Border Protection]

Reuters recently reported that some believers in the Indian state of Gujarat have been going to cow shelters weekly to cover their bodies in cow dung and urine in the hope that this practice might boost their immunity against the coronavirus.

It cited Dr. JA Jayalal, president of the Indian Medical Association, as saying that “[t]here is no concrete scientific evidence that cow dung or urine work to boost immunity against COVID-19, it is based entirely on belief.”

As of May 12, India's coronavirus death toll had surpassed 250,000 in the deadliest 24 hours since the pandemic began, as the disease continues to rampage through the countryside.