We're Talking Low Impact (Not Being WWF Or Anything)

I give you the story of Florida's giant African land snail invasion:

How big a pest are they? They will gobble up at least 500 different types of plants, but that's not all. They also can cause structural damage to plaster and stucco by chewing on houses. Oh yeah, and they can carry a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis in humans. 

So you wouldn't want to mess with them, would you? But somebody did, and that's where the story takes a particularly Floridian turn. 

Florida authorities believe they were smuggled into Miami by followers of a religious cult based on the traditional African religion Ifa Orisha. One follower flew from Africa to Miami with the snails hidden under her dress, according to police. 

Authorities said the cult leader, Charles Stewart, persuaded his followers to drink the snails' mucus as part of a "healing ritual." As a result, one newspaper noted dryly, "several practitioners became violently ill." 

Stewart blamed the uproar over the snails on jealousy from Miami's many occult Santeria practitioners.

Jealousy? Wow. 

Arriana's Rajneesh think you're both small potatoes, so shut up,...