German customs officers say a path of slime led them to a stash of just about 100 large African land snails and different objects hidden inside luggage at Duesseldorf Airport this month.
In a press release Friday, authorities mentioned officers stumbled over one of many snails on a baggage truck and initially thought it was a toy till it began shifting. By following the path left by the 8-inch snail, they discovered a bag with a gap, with one other snail already peeping out of it — probably making ready a touch for freedom.
In whole, officers discovered six luggage containing 93 large snails, 62 kilos of fish and smoked meat, and a suitcase stuffed with rotting meat. All had been imported from Nigeria and have been destined for an African items retailer in western Germany.
The snails have been handed to an animal rescue service in Duesseldorf and the meat was destroyed, customs officers mentioned.
"By no means within the historical past of the Duesseldorf customs workplace has a path of slime led us to smuggled items," mentioned its spokesman Michael Stroll.
In July, Florida officers enacted a quarantine order for one county when the invasive snail species reappeared within the state. The Florida agriculture division referred to as the large African snail "one of the crucial damaging mollusk subtypes on the planet." Totally eradicating a inhabitants of the snails can take years.
Florida officers have been utilizing specifically educated canines to smell out the invasive species.