Invasion of the cannibal slugs (From South Wales Guardian)

Invasion of the cannibal slugs

7:00am Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News By Steve Adams

GIANT cannibal slugs have invaded the AmmanValley!

While it may sound like a 1950s horror movie, it is actually true.

Giant slugs – up to six inches or 15 centimetres long – have already been spotted in Ammanford and Glanaman, and are likely to have spread further afield already.

The slimy monsters have reached our shores from Spain – presumably hiding out in plants and food shipped over from the continent – and are decimating crops in North Wales, Cornwall and the east of England.

The voracious cannibals are known to eat native British slugs and snails as well as everything they can find in the garden – they also eat each other.

Keen gardener Sylvia Locke, of 59 Maes yr Haf in Ammanford, first spotted the giant invertebrates in her garden three weeks ago.

“I knew something strange was going on because I was finding hundreds of empty snail shells in my garden, said Sylvia, aged 72.

“At first I thought it must be a thrush, but the shells were all perfectly intact – apart from being completely empty.”

Sylvia only realised she had been invaded when she took her pet pooch Susie out for a latenight stroll around the garden.

“Susie went for something on the floor and at first I thought she had caught a mouse,” said Sylvia.

“But when I got closer I realised it was a giant slug.

“I had never seen anything like it – it was huge – at least four inches long, perhaps even more.”

Sylvia killed the creature in traditional fashion with a little salt, but the next night she was in for an even bigger shock.

“When I took Susie out the next night she found another, but this time it was actually eating a snail. It was horrible.

“I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it in my life before. It was disgusting.”

Slug expert Dr Les Noble, from Aberdeen University, confirmed the giant Spanish slugs were here to stay and urged gardeners to be on the look-out.

“The invasive species is carrying diseases and parasites that are going to wipe out our native slugs,” said Dr Noble.

“Our slugs self-fertilise and are so highly inbred they can’t keep pace with new diseases and parasites, and together with several other snails may become extinct.”