eating big snails

Now they have small snails eating big snails

The giant snail species in New Guinea is proving a headache for the Administration.

Brought in originally by Japanese troops in 1942, the snails were intended to feed soldiers. Now they are in abundance in the Gazelle Peninsula of the East New Britain District, New Ireland and certain parts of the Manus District.

In the Gazelle Peninsula and in some areas of New Ireland, the snails eat out food gardens. They move into the gardens in tens of thousands and can eat out a good size garden under a week. The only way New Guineans have been able to control them is by daily inspection of their gardens and removing snails by hand from plants.

The Administration some years ago introduced legislation prohibiting the removal of plants from the original snail districts.

However, late last year, snails were discovered at Kieta, on Bougainville.

A huge search was organised to

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recover every individual snail that could be found and destroyed.

The search may have been success ful because all snails found had been destroyed . . . but what of the ones that were not found? Right now they could be multiplying.

The latest headache is in Port Moresby. It’s believed the snails were brought into Moresby about 1964.

The Department of Agriculture carried out an intensive programme to eradicate the snails then.

Snails in Boroko

Apparently, the eradication pro gramme failed hopelessly and now people are finding giant snails in their gardens in a suburb, Boroko.

Early in April, the Administration brought in small snails (Gonaxis quadrilateralis ) and released these in the Boroko area to try to combat the giant snails.

The small snails are a predator and feed on other snails. It is claimed that these small snails do not become pests.

To help combat the giant snails, the Administration has given out colour descriptions of the two snails to householders in the Moresby area, to help distinguish between them.