On Thu, 15 May 2008 00:07:32 +1200, Andrew Grebneff
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>>"Snails" is interpreted by customs as "live land snails that will
>>devour whole farms if they get off the plane".
>
>Yep... pig-ignorance. "Midwestern Wheat Crop Destroyed by Rampaging
>Pteropods..."
>
>>One possible approach would be to start explaining in detail what each
>>specimen is.  This got my brother through security fairly quickly with
>>a backpack of fossils.
>
>not in New Zealand... where customs officials have told me that
>fossils are dug out of the ground and may carry unwanted organisms...
>so declaring them as rocks won't help. I guess, if they are
>molluscan, I could call them shells... as this would be entirely true.
>--
>Andrew Grebneff
>Dunedin
>New Zealand
>Fossil preparator
>Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
>? Opinions stated are mine, not those of Otago University
>"There is water at the bottom of the ocean"  - Talking Heads
>

Well, they might have been right. If you brought your unwashed NZ fossils
to the Old Country then I might have had to face these:
http://www.terranature.org/gigantism.htm

or this:
http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/CA25677D007DC87D/LUbyDesc/phearthworm/
$File/phearthworm.jpg
http://tinyurl.com/44t7m6

The 'guardians' ie those idiots at customs are supposed to try and stop
this, but they haven't a chance.

For a few horrendous stories of exotic introductions and what they can do,
just Google:

Partula
Zebra Mussels
Rabbits - Australia
Rats - New Zealand
Water Hyacinth - anywhere
Nile Perch - Lake Victoria
Kudzu
White men - anywhere, but especially in North and Meso America

The point I'm trying to make is that nobody knows how these apparently
very minor introductions can have huge repercussions.

The last time I went there, the US customs asked (very aggressively) if I
was bringing in any fruit.

Five years later, Israeli soldiers told my 6-year old son to give up the
Jordanian orange he was sucking as we crossed the Allenby Bridge (because
he was hot and thirsty - it's about the lowest point on earth, and very
hot). That is sheer nonsense - sometimes these sensible precautions become
political weapons.

regards


Richard

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------