Channeled apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata)
Changi, 1st June 2008
30 of these apple snails were found scattered along a short stretch of shore at Changi Point, all very dead, all smelling very bad, and many were full of maggots. These are freshwater snails, so what were they doing in a coastal area, and why so many of them? Apple snails are raised for human consumption in many parts of Southeast Asia, so my suspicion is that this was a misguided (and uninformed) attempt to release these snails in order to rescue them from the horrible fate of being eaten. A whole lot of good it did for the snails.
Releasing of Animals - Good or Bad? (mirror)
The Apple Snail (Ampullariidae) Website
Global Invasive Species Database
