Tue | May 12, 2026
Stranger Than Fiction

Two deadly snails were found crawling along a busy London street

Published:Thursday | July 21, 2022 | 5:28 AMBANG Bizarre

Giant African land snails that can carry killer parasites were dumped at a bus stop in a lettuce-filled cardboard box but escaped and were spotted gliding along the pavement.

Jamie-Lee McEvoy, who saw the creatures near London Bridge railway station, told The Sun newspaper: "They were the size of my arms.

"I thought I was seeing things. Everyone was wondering where they'd come from. But no one knew what to do or wanted to touch them."

The molluscs pose a serious health danger to humans as they have rat lungworm - which triggers deadly meningitis - but they were collected by wildlife volunteer Beth Crivelli.

She said: "They would have died crawling along the streets in the heat.

"They're living with me in a properly sealed box until I can find someone to adopt them."

 

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