AIEEEEE!!! Barbados Invaded By Giant Snails - ENN

[hatrack]

RUN!! No, I mean "WALK!!"

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — A breed of giant, ravenous snails that first appeared in Barbados five years ago has thrived on the tropical island, destroying crops and prompting calls for the government to eliminate the slimy pests.

A nocturnal "snail hunt" last weekend reported finding hundreds of thousands of giant African snails swarming the central parish of St. George, the country's agricultural heartland where farmers had complained of damage to crops including sugar cane, bananas and papayas.

"We saw snails riding on each other's backs and moving in clusters," said David Walrond, chairman of the local emergency response office that organized 60 volunteers for the hunt. "You're just crunching the shells as you're walking through."

The volunteers sprayed government-supplied pesticides in gullies and other cool, low-lying areas where the snails are believed to breed, venturing out after dark to catch the snails as they emerge from spending the day underground. Walrond's brigade plans to continue its assault over the next three weekends.

EDIT

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11616

[hippiechick]

1. Terrorist escargot!

Blame the French!!!

:rofl:

[MADem]

2. Pesticides? Geez, why not buy a load of butter and garlic and offer a

vacation discount to hungry Frenchmen????

[zbdent]

4. Gotta hand it to the French, on that one ...

who knew that someone would be daring enough to eat a snail?

[Cleita]

6. Or that hungry that they would eat snails.

I have the french escargot type in my garden. They are disgusting creatures who slime you if you pick them up. I toss them in the road and let the crows have a feast. Also, depending on the pesticide, it may be bad for the birds who would eat them.

[Nihil]

16. Add enough flavouring ...

... and people will eat anything ...

Seen what they serve up in any "fast food" joint these days?

Alsatian with a tikka masala sauce ... sweet & sour terrier ...
... guinea-pig kebabs ... you eat the meat and taste the spices.
(Please bear in mind that escargot is simply the land cousin of
winkles, mussels, cockles, abalone and other such "low" creatures.)

Yum!

(I just like the garlic with something to chew on in the meantime.)

[meegbear]

3. Ick!

The snails, which are about the size of a human hand, are known to consume as many as 500 different plants and their mucous can transmit meningitis and other diseases.

Gimme a box of Diamond Crystal ... better make that 2 boxes.

[Cleita]

5. May I recommend buckets of beer.

Snails love it and drown in it. Also, maybe they need to unleash birds like geese and ducks on them. They are natural predators to snails as are possums.

[MADem]

8. Works great for garden slugs! NT

[zbdent]

9. not a bad idea, but I'm getting visions of B.C.'s "Cute Chick"

who once said "Oh, great ... what do you do with a bunch of drunken slugs?"

[wakeme2008]

7. I will be in Barbados in one week and one day

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[applegrove]

10. Hey... Look at that "S' Car GO!

[phantom power]

11. I say we pull back and nuke them from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

[hatrack]

13. "That's great. That's fucking great. What do we do now?"

"Maybe we could roast some marshmallows, sing a couple of songs!"

[phantom power]

17. LOL! Aye-firmative!

[hatrack]

18. I particularly like the way Bill Paxton blew a big drool strand when saying:

"We're fucked! We're doomed!!"

:toast:

[Porcupine]

12. Quick!!! Find some giant Ducks!! n/t.

.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. Where's the pictures?

[Nihil]

15. Down the High street, first on the left.

:hi: