Border crossings from Tijuana to San Diego are full of surprises. Some are not very pleasant, and some can get a smile out of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents; this occurred in a recent case where they had to send a piglet back to Mexico.

According to Border Patrol, this happened on September 11, approximately at 8:30 AM when a 63-year-old traveler and his granddaughter were looking to get into the United States at the Otay Mesa port of entry. They showed their documents and then they said that they had a pet pig inside their vehicle. As such, they were sent to a secondary inspection.

The animal was identified as a black pet miniature pig. He was not allowed in as CBP agricultural specialists explained to the travelers that live pigs cannot enter into the United States without the necessary permits by veterinary services. In addition, they have to be regulated as livestock so that they can be allowed into other countries.

Rosa Hernandez, Acting Director of Border Patrol Field Operations of San Diego, stated:

While many travelers would like to cross pets of different breeds into the U.S., we must ensure from a customs perspective that we mitigate potential diseases from animals that come from other countries. Unfortunately, some travelers cannot cross their pets, but we must follow USDA and CDC guidelines to protect our citizens.

Officers claimed that the little pig went “wee wee wee” on his way back home after being sent back to Mexico voluntarily. According to CBP, some animals can be detained while the government carries out the necessary processes, while African rodents, bats, nonhuman primates, and civets aren't allowed to be imported as pets under any circumstances.