Federal Officials Seize Invasive Giant Snails From Wisconsin Schools

[hatrack]

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — "Federal health officials have seized several dangerous pests called Giant African Land Snails from Wisconsin classrooms and have started a national search for the creatures, which reproduce rapidly, destroy plants and can transmit meningitis.

The snails, which are illegal to have in the United States, were used in classrooms by unwitting school officials, said Willie Harris, eastern regional director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (news - web sites)'s Safeguarding, Intervention and Trade Compliance Program.

Snails have been seized in the past month from Wisconsin cities including Big Bend, Menasha and Milwaukee. Officials so far have not found any others elsewhere. They are concerned the snails, about the size of a person's hand, could be transported to states with warmer climates, where they can rapidly reproduce and destroy plants.

In 1966, a Miami boy smuggled three Giant African Land Snails into the country. His grandmother eventually released them into a garden, and in seven years there were more than 18,000 of them. The eradication program took 10 years, according to the USDA."

EDIT

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-04-27/s_23205.asp

[lucidmadman]

1. invasive giant snails?

..that can't be good.

[zbdent]

8. 10,000 years from now, they'll be massing at the border of

Indiana and Ohio . . .

[dedhed]

2. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.... escargot........

:smoke:

[havocmom]

3. No, we do not want our order of escargot

'biggie sized' and hold the meningitis!

[ZenLefty]

4. Yeesh!

:o

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/animal-zone/Snails.htm

[ret5hd]

6. SHOOT HIM!!!...He's gradually coming right for us!!!

[ZenLefty]

7. He can be a useful public servant

I'm sure our local post office could hire these guys. :o

[hatrack]

9. "Colonel! The missiles are not stopping him!!"

"We must call out our armored divisions!!"

[Mr.Green93]

5. just more discrimination against immigrants