Giant, Hungry Snails Overrunning Caribbean Island of Barbados

Foxnews ^ | 8 Nov 2006 | AP`

[gobucks]

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, which 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.

[gobucks]

....after spending their day underground....

somebody needs to call a pest specialist, FOR SURE.

[mewzilla]

somebody needs to call a pest specialist, FOR SURE.

Or Dr. Doolittle...

[JmyBryan]

New type of hamburger meat?

[tgusa]

Mmmmmmm....... escargot!!

[elpinta]

"We saw snails riding on each other's backs..."
I bet that is what they were doing!!! :-))

[CaptRon]

Overrunning struck me as funny.

[frogjerk]

Giant, Hungry Snails Overrunning Caribbean Island of Barbados

Election fallout continues...

[magslinger]

Import Frenchmen?

[kingattax]

guest snail program

[lesser_satan]

The dems win and hours later we have giant, ravenous mollusks terrorizing the populace of a small island nation. This is a bad sign.

[Battle Axe]

The French will PAY for them.

[RouxStir]

"somebody needs to call a pest specialist"

Send in the French Army. As long as the snails aren't muslims, they will eat them, spreading their Gov't issued white flags out for a picnic on snails, wine and cheese...the only manuever they have mastered.

[Rennes Templar]

I guess this is a slow news day after all.

[gobucks]

The election results ... well, one considers that this story is the proper metaphor for what has happened...

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Hawaii also has big snails.

[gobucks]

an omen indeed ...

[Constitution Day]

When Life Gives You Giant Snails, Make A Sh!tload Of Escargot.

Just some words of wisdom from your old uncle CD.

[End Times Sentinel]

Giant African Snails are known carriers of eosinophilic meningitis and wreak havoc with crops.

Owl_Eagle

If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.

[RichInOC]

Screw pesticides. Send butter and garlic.

[CaptRon]

Actually, I meant because they're snails!