Student's arrest for killing snails prompts debate

In Hong Kong, a doctoral student was yesterday arrested for animal cruelty after allegedly pouring salt over snails to kill them. But in its neighboring city Shenzhen, health authorities encourage citizens to do so for protecting the environment. 

The student, who allegedly killed snails in Tsim Sha Tsui, has been released on bail after his arrest yesterday. He will report to the police in September. 

His case prompted debates online whether killing snails should be considered animal cruelty. 

An online article published by the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission said that snails carry many parasites and pathogens in their mucus or feces, especially the Cantonal nematode. If those pathogens enter the human body, they may affect the central nervous system or cerebrospinal fluid and can cause fatal meningitis. 

People were recommended to use salt to kill them if they see the creature on their balconies or in their gardens. It is the only good way to deal with them, the article said.

According to the Nanning Evening Newspaper, the Nanhu Park in Nanning city, Guangxi recently started the elimination Achatina fulica, which is also known as the giant African snail.

The park detected earlier that many plants were eaten by this kind of snail during daily maintenance.

The giant African snail is one of the first 16 foreign invasive species in China.With strong reproductive ability and rapid growth, they gained the name of "garden killers". The plants they gnaw are full of holes, easily inducing soft rot and causing plant death.

People are reminded that the snail is an intermediate host for human and animal parasites and germs. They may spread some diseases, such as pathogens and parasites in the mucus left behind by these snails after crawling.

It is not recommended for people to touch or take them home as pets, neither to eat them.

Yangcheng Evening News reported on August 5 said sprinkling salt onto the snails can melt their soft parts and they will die.