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Post details: Tasty snails in peril

Tasty snails in peril

The Times has the courage to highlight the plight of the the Burgundy snail (Helix pomatia), pointing out the concerns of Buglife. It's a pleasure to see the mainstream media for once taking a stance on invertebrate conservation. David Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth is an honourable and outstanding exception.

The Ranger would have found the article more convincing, however, if it had not described Burgundy snails in the headline as "big, tasty snails", and then gone on - apparently quoting Buglife - to say how to collect them, what parts of the country to look in, and then, just in case you didn't get the idea, provide a tempting recipe showing how to cook them.

Possibly if the same had been done for baby seals there may have been some sort of complaint.

(First posted Nov 2005, updated 2008)
Note that since 2008 H. pomatia now has legal protection so do not try collecting them - it's illegal in England!

4 comments so far, see them and add yours here!

Posted on 15th August 2006 at 2 16 pm
by The Virtual Ranger
1609 views

Categories: Wildlife & countryside news and comment, The Ranger's surfing highlights..., Protected species, Ranger Rants

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Comment from: David Larkin

Were common enough on the North Downs when I was a kid (I even made a snail farm!). Hadn't seen one for several decades until I saw one in Slovenia this year.
Haven't tried eating them, have tried garden snails though, not really worth it although the revenge factor does add a little spice!

Permalink 04/12/05 @ 14:03

Comment from: The Virtual Ranger [Admin] · http://naturenet.net

I've often been tempted to essay the cooking of garden snails, although squeamishness has so far kept me from putting such a dastardly plan into action. What were they like? Did you fatten them up on bran or whatever you're supposed to do first?

Permalink 04/12/05 @ 19:23

Comment from: The Virtual Ranger [Admin] · http://naturenet.net

See this fantastic site about farming and eating garden snails:

http://www.heliciculture.co.uk/

Permalink 11/12/05 @ 16:33

Comment from: Tim Hart

Thank for solving a mystery, saw numerous Burgandy Snails along the North Downs Way earlier today and wondered what they were called. They were enjoying the rain and wet grass!

Permalink 06/06/09 @ 23:45

The thoughts and writings of The Virtual Ranger, since 1995 the host and mascot of Naturenet, the UK's most popular independent environmental website; along with interjections from his real-life alter ego, Matthew Chatfield, and others. Featuring not only Naturenet and countryside related stuff, but, as on Naturenet, plenty of other material - more or less at random - that takes The Ranger's fancy. But you can be confident that soon enough he'll be rather sarcastic.

Next post: "A diet of fag butts and crisp packets"

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Post details: Tasty snails in peril

Tasty snails in peril

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