Snail danger!!!

We really must watch what we eat and I say this not only for the obvious health reasons, but also to prevent fatalities from happening.

Take for instance the workshop organised by the Ministry of Agriculture here in Antigua in collaboration with UNAIDS and the University of the West Indies. The workshop wants to increase awareness about the Giant African Land Snail, that was sighted in the Jolly Beach/Bolans areas in March of 2008.

The workshop drew numerous participants from the private, business and government sectors to help spread the word why the Giant African snail is not to be trifled with. Minister of State responsible for Agriculture Senator Joanne Massiah called on the relevant agencies to educate students especially those in primaries schools about the danger this snail poses to humans.

To the untrained eye, it looks like any other harmless slug, but according to the experts be very cautious and Do NOT HANDLE with your bare hands!

It feeds on anything ... vegetation, animal excretions and its own dead! It decimates agriculture affecting a country's economy and not only that, humans can contract meningitis(deadly infection which can kill in a few hours).

Dark in colour and growing to huge proportions this is not dinner nor a delicacy to be enjoyed by my Creole or French friends! Any sightings should be reported to the nearest plant protection agency.
www.wvagriculture.org

And to my beloved friends who love smuggling plant cuttings/fruits for the fun of it, or because they look pleasing to the eye ... STOP!! ... as hidden pests and diseases often lurk and cannot be seen by the naked eye. By bringing in these problems you introduce a threat to the local flora which incidentally will not have any known controls for the new invader.

So do the right thing and use the proper channels to import a plant or better still just take a photograph.