# Trail of Slime leads to Smuggled Snails **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 16, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685 "2022-09-16T17:19:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/1 "2022-09-16T17:19:18Z")
> [@](#): > > “Never in the history of the Duesseldorf customs office has a trail of slime led us to smuggled goods,” said [Animal Rescue League] spokesman Michael Walk. > [@](#): > > # German Customs Officials Follow Trail Of Slime And Find Bags Of Giant Snails > > … > … > German customs officials say a trail of slime led them to a stash of almost 100 giant African land snails and other items hidden inside bags at Duesseldorf Airport this month. > > In a statement Friday, authorities said officials stumbled over one of the snails on a baggage truck and initially thought it was a toy until it started moving. By following the trail left by the 20-centimeter (8-inch) snail, they found a bag with a hole, with another snail already peeping out of it — possibly preparing a dash for freedom. > n total, officials found six bags containing 93 giant snails, 28 kilograms (62 pounds) of fish and smoked meat, and a suitcase full of rotting meat. All had been imported from Nigeria and were destined for an African goods store in western Germany. > > The snails were handed to an animal rescue service in Duesseldorf and the meat was destroyed, customs officials said. > **[German Customs Officials Follow Trail Of Slime And Find Bags Of Giant Snails](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/african-land-snails-trail-of-slime-germany_n_63220b38e4b082746be5de74)** > > “Never in the history of the Duesseldorf customs office has a trail of slime led us to smuggled goods,” spokesman Michael Walk told the media. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/2 "2022-09-16T17:31:29Z")
Without reading the post and the article, my immediate thought is : “Gary Larson has started cartooning again!” ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/3 "2022-09-16T17:33:12Z")
It takes cojones to try and smuggle something like that through customs—either that or stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/4 "2022-09-16T17:34:08Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > It takes cajones to try and smuggle something like that **through customers.** Either that or stupidity. - That would be the rotting meat. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/5 "2022-09-16T17:34:27Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Either that or stupidity. Or the ability to completely ignore and abide slime. I’m reminded of Colleen McCullouch’s first book in the “Makers of Rome” series, **The First Man in Rome** , where the soldier finds a veritable trove of edible snails near Carthage on the north Africa coast and makes plans to smuggle them back to the gastronomes of Rome. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/6 "2022-09-16T17:43:29Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > possibly preparing a dash for freedom It sounds like they got there just in time! ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/7 "2022-09-16T17:55:12Z")
Are you familiar with the term bushmeat? The German autorities call it rotten, the smugglers call it natural bouquet and sell it at a hefty premium. It is horrible: not only is it a vector for diseases, it also is a significant factor in the extermination of many species to mention but two problems that spring to mind with this case. Search for bushmeat, but do not look for pictures if you don’t have the stomach. It is disgusting and sad. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/8 "2022-09-16T18:05:18Z")
I had heard the term “bushmeat” being used to refer to meat coming from native animals in Africa. I hadn’t heard about it being rotting or decaying. the Wikipedia article on it, in fact, says that it is commonly smoked to preserve it. If there is a demand for decaying bushmeat because of its desired properties (“natural bouquet”), this is the first I’ve heard of it. When I google it, the images show freshly-killed or smoked animal meat, not the stuff you describe. Is that a particular niche market? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/9 "2022-09-16T18:19:48Z")
It would seem so: the bushmeat sold in Europe (London is the biggest market, I am afraid, and niche is in the eye of the beholder - it is worth millions, it seems, but like with every illegal trade it is hard to obtain reliable figures) has a long journey behind and as it is mostly smoked or dried in an unprofessional way and was not properly cooled it stinks. German autorities will call the slightest wiff of decay rotten (as they should), but the smugglers would say that is the way it is meant to be, it’s only natural. It is not a desired property, but it is not a deterrent either. Maybe it can be sold as a sign of authenticity. Perhaps the images you see will change if you search for _bushmeat in Europe_. Oh, and 20 cm snails! Just what we need here, a new neozoon. I hope it comes with its own parasites too, the more the merrier! Damn smugglers of living beings, they make me mad. The ones that [kill, sell and eat apes](https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Dale-Peterson/dp/0520230906/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2JOHY3OL029Y1&keywords=apes+essen&qid=1663352232&sprefix=eating+apes%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-2) are the worst, IMO. I have been taking this personal for quite a long time, excuse me if I sound humourless. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/10 "2022-09-16T18:22:24Z")
Had a Nigerian neighbor once who used to occasionally cook _something_ that was so odoriferous it could clear out most of the courtyard apartment building while it was simmering. But that hunk o’stuff was heavily, heavily salted for preservation so it didn’t stink until it started cooking. It got to the point that when we heard the hacksaw at work (he really did saw hunks of it off to put in the pot) we’d all find a reason to take prolonged trips elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/11 "2022-09-16T19:47:40Z")
I wonder how long this alleged slime trail could have been. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/12 "2022-09-16T19:49:44Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Perhaps the images you see will change if you search for _bushmeat in Europe_. Not much. I’m still generally not getting the horror show you describe. My earlier search turned up a few maggot-ridden corpses and a couple of images that were described as descaying, but didn’t look it. Maybe it’s just as well there’s no olfactory output from my computer. It used to be you could get truly exotic game meat from Savenor’s here in Boston, including things like Zebra and Lion. I just looked on their website, and it’s considerably toned down – Alligator, Buffalo, Camel, and such, but they all look as if they’re farm-raised, not something you’d go out hunting for. And thy were sold just like meat in the supermarket – fresh white, pink, or red steaks with no decay placed on plastic foam rays and shrink-wrapped. There’s probably some underground trade in more questionable bush meat even here in Beantown, but I haven’t seen it. [https://www.savenorsmarket.com/game-meat-selections](https://www.savenorsmarket.com/game-meat-selections) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/13 "2022-09-17T03:33:46Z")
Several outbreaks of Ebola, and other related diseases, have been traced to bushmeat, although not necessarily due to illegal trade. Rather, these were cases of “animal that is not human = potential meat” and that’s what they ate, largely out of necessity. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/14 "2022-09-17T03:40:27Z")
I Googled “dried Nigerian meat” and found this, kilishi, which is a variation of jerky. Could it have been that? > **[Kilishi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilishi)** > > Kilishi is a version of jerky that originated in Hausaland specifically Niger . It is a dried form of suya, made from cow, sheep or goat meat. > Firstly, remove the bone from the cow, sheep or goat meat, Each of the selected muscles is sliced into sheets of one metre or less for easy drying. The dried sheets of meat are then collected and kept for the next process. > A paste made from peanuts, called labu, is prepared by diluting with water. Spices, salt, ground onions, and sometimes sweeteners su... [https://www.themarketfoodshop.com/product/kilishi/#:~:text=How%20long%20does%20kilishi%20last,a%20cool%20and%20dry%20place](https://www.themarketfoodshop.com/product/kilishi/#:~:text=How%20long%20does%20kilishi%20last,a%20cool%20and%20dry%20place). ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/15 "2022-09-17T07:14:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > they found a bag with a hole, with another snail already peeping out of it — possibly preparing a dash for freedom. Slow meander towards freedom? Glad they caught the smuggler. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/16 "2022-09-17T09:24:20Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > […] largely out of necessity. In Africa maybe, debatable. In Düsseldorf? No. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/17 "2022-09-17T10:24:10Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I Googled “dried Nigerian meat” and found this, kilishi, which is a variation of jerky. Could it have been that? Pretty sure it was some sort of salt fish, at least the time I saw it, but yeah, he could have been having some of that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/18 "2022-09-17T21:54:44Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Oh, and 20 cm snails! Just what we need here, a new neozoon. I hope it comes with its own parasites too, They do, potentially. [https://www.giantafricanlandsnails.com/wild-caught-gals.html](https://www.giantafricanlandsnails.com/wild-caught-gals.html) I’d love to have one (a gals, not a rat lungworm) but they are profoundly illegal in the US. [https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests/the-threat/giant-african-snail/giant-african-snail](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests/the-threat/giant-african-snail/giant-african-snail) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2022, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trail-of-slime-leads-to-smuggled-snails/971685/19 "2022-09-17T23:12:35Z")
A _rat_ lungworm? Sounds lovely. Really want some G.A.L.S.? You don’t happen to live in [Florida](https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/giant-snails-on-advance-in-florida/)?