Thieves make off with 'slug-eating plant'

South Africa Independent News ^ | April 17 2002 at 04:14PM | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

Thieves make off with 'slug-eating plant'

April 17 2002 at 04:14PM

Linz - A unique and priceless plant which eats slugs has been stolen in Austria, the mass circulation Kronen Zeitung said on Wednesday.

The plant had been a world sensation, said the report. Slugs are the scourge of millions of vegetable gardens, and the plant is possibly the answer to the curse.

The world's only example of "sarracenia arionescens" had been bred by researchers in the Netherlands. Last weekend it was on show at the Agrarium near Wels in northern Austria.

But overnight, thieves broke in and stole the priceless plant.

"If we don't get it back we'll be ruined," said Agrarium chief Erich Preymann. "Sarracenia was the star of the exhibition. I mortgaged my firm for it."

The researchers say the plant lures slugs into the interior of its tube-shaped leaves. They get stuck there, and are slowly digested.

At present, work was going on to see whether sarracenia could be mass-produced.

"The plant's got great scientific value. If the goal is achieved of sarracenia luring and destroying slugs in gardens, billions will be at stake economically," said Preymann.

His worst fear was that the theft had been economic espionage. He was even prepared to pay a ransom, he said.

The plant would be worthless to an ordinary thief, he pointed out, saying without extensive laboratory care it would surely die. - Sapa-DPA

[vannrox]

...hum...

[wildehunt]

Audrey??

[puddle_duck]

I have to have one of these plants! I have a terrible slug problem.

[tomakaze]

RE:I have a terrible slug problem
 
I could go for sticking one of these suckers in the governor's mansion (Washington State).

[wildehunt]

Try a box of salt..
You won't have to mortgage your corporation for it...

[michigander]

Try a box of salt..

No, no, no.
Go with the Slug gun. Keep the plant away from it though.

[puddle_duck]

I tried that last year and it killed the slugs and the plants. I couldn't figure out what was eating my plants (especially my hostas) I went out at night with a flash light and there were armies of them on every plant I had. I just this week bought and installed a pond for frogs. They will help however I read here today that frogs are being born with multiple sex organs from weed killer. Man I can't win.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Little dishes of beer will drown the slugs, and ASPCA can't complain because the slugs will die happy. It would probably help to put a suitably sized mesh over the dishes so rabbits, etc. can't get into it.

[stanz]

Hmmmm...thugs protecting slugs?

[Husker24]

Could we grow a large one and plant it outside Daschles office.

[rmlew]

Rabbits drink beer?
ACtually, I shouldn't be suprised. Hamsters love alcohol. (As an aside, liquored up hamsters on obsticle courses are really funny.)

[RWCon]

I wonder how they'd work on banana slugs.

[shaggy eel]

,,, "feed me, Seymour!"

[null and void]

Could we grow a large one and plant it outside Daschle's office?

OMG LOL!!! You bad man, BAD!

[rmlew]

I've seen hamsters eat insects, but I don't think that Slugs are part of their normal diet.

[scholar]

Go with the beer--have read in organic gardening books that it works like a charm.

[let freedom sing]

It was probably those kooky PETA people-- they'd kill anything to save an animal.