Page Content
Quarantine acts speedily to stop slow but dangerous invaders
15 November 2000
When 124 slimy stowaways arrived in Gladstone by ship on Monday, Quarantine Officers worked much faster than a snail's pace to detain them at the wharf.
The slow but extremely dangerous invaders were giant African snails, which had hitched a ride to Australia on a cargo ship from Papua New Guinea.
AQIS Officers in Gladstone were alerted to the snails by waterside workers, who found them while unloading containers.
Quarantine Operational Supervisor Bill Harper praised the efforts of the wharfies in reporting the find to AQIS so quickly.
"Even though snails are renowned for their lack of pace, these pests needed to be stopped immediately," Bill said.
"If they became established in Australia, they could very rapidly destroy our natural environment: giant African snails grow to 30 centimetres in length and can weigh a kilogram — they're also known to attack at least 500 species of plants, including gum trees..
"The incident really highlights the importance of our industry partners working with us to help protect Australia from the introduction of serious exotic pests and diseases."
Quarantine Officers have inspected the entire wharf area to make sure no snails escaped, and the containers have been fumigated on the wharf.
For more details
Contact: Jacinda Geritz
Phone: (07) 3246 8703
Mobile: 0414 561 295
Note: The snails are available for photography