Denver International Airport boasts one of the most extensive lost and found departments in the country. And it’s no surprise since Denver is the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, where things can get pretty wild (pun intended). In fact, the items that have been lost and found at the airport are not only bizarre but will leave you saying, “What on earth were they thinking?”
Some items are pretty mundane, like phones, wallets, and keys. But others, well, let’s just say they require a little more explanation. Like the time an entire elk’s worth of meat was discovered in a traveler’s carry-on. Was this person trying to smuggle in a state delicacy or just looking to avoid the steep prices at airport restaurants? We may never know. The meat was confiscated, but not before airport staff got in a quick Instagram photo shoot with the curious cut.
But wait, there’s more! Nothing screams “I’m not from around here” like trying to check a circular saw as carry-on luggage. That’s right; somebody tried to take a power tool on a plane. Did they think they were going to build something mid-flight? Fix the cockpit door? Or maybe they wanted to give the safety announcement a little extra edge. Regardless, the saw was taken away before boarding, which is probably for the best.
Don’t think you’re getting away without any animal-related items on this list. Denver International Airport has also seen a number of lost and found items that reflect the state’s unique relationship with wildlife. From stags’ antlers to coyote tails, travelers seem to enjoy bringing a bit of nature with them wherever they go. One person even lost a live snake, but thankfully it was found before the poor creature met an untimely demise.
Incredibly, a few travelers managed to lose items that seemed impossible to misplace. A six-foot-tall cactus was found abandoned in a corner of the airport, as if someone had tried to check it at the ticket counter and then realized their mistake. Elsewhere, someone left behind an entire surfboard, which seems like an odd thing to need in Colorado, considering the state’s landlocked position.
Of course, there are always a few items that generate more questions than answers. A human skull was once found in a passenger’s checked luggage, but the individual had a medical explanation for why they were bringing it with them. Then there was the time a bag of bullets was discovered at the TSA checkpoint. Was this some kind of tactical error on the part of the passenger, or had they simply forgotten that putting a bag of bullets in your backpack would raise eyebrows?
All in all, the lost and found at Denver International Airport proves that people are full of surprises. Whether it’s a suitcase full of rubber chickens or a taxidermied mount of a mountain goat, you never know what might turn up. And while some items are easily explainable, others remain as mysterious and wild as the Rocky Mountains themselves.
