Council tells snail racers to escargot-away

A council has put a stop to a snail race over complaints from animal rights activists.

The Electronic Snail Racing Board demonstrations - which encouraged members of the public to find a snail and transport it to Nottingham Central Library - was due to go ahead on Wednesday.

The Nottingham Animal Coalition, one of the campaign groups which led calls to cancel the race, described it as "unnecessary".

Nottingham City Council said although it intended the demonstrations to be "light-hearted" and "educational", it had taken all of the feedback seriously and would never knowingly host an activity that could cause distress to animals.

Kerry Kane, 33, a member of the Nottingham Animal Coalition, said she was shocked to see the event being advertised.

"If we want to teach children about snails, about biodiversity, about what we can find in our gardens, then we can do so from our gardens or use books and videos.

"It's not a human need to race a snail," she said.

Kane added her biggest concern was that members of the public had been asked to find and bring in their own snails.

"It was really irresponsible because of the potential injury you could cause to a snail by picking it up wrong," she said. "There was no information explaining how to do it properly.

"You have to gently tap or stroke the shell, so the snail's foot retracts, and then it's safe to remove them and then place them in the direction they were going in.

"There's no need to pick a snail up by its shell, because pulling at it from its shell can cause damage and injury."

Angus Davison, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Nottingham, is an expert on snails, using them in his lab to understand evolutionary and developmental genetics.

He said he had no concerns about snail racing in general, but the event planned in Nottingham should have been "better thought out".

"What you wouldn't want to happen is people to grab snails from all over Nottinghamshire, bring them into the city centre, take part in the race and then just discard them in the green space that's right outside the library," he said.

Davison added the debate about this event should not put people off taking an interest in nature.

He said: "It's no good just saying 'hands off, you can't touch nature'. People need to get interested in nature, to be able to conserve nature.

"These snails are very common, they're not endangered, and if they're treated correctly, it won't do them any harm."

In a statement, Nottingham City Council said: "We apologise to anyone who may have been disappointed by this decision, and equally to anyone who found the proposed activity upsetting.

"While the demonstrations were intended as a light-hearted and educational activity, we recognise that some members of the community have expressed genuine concerns about the welfare of the snails involved.

"Our aim is always to provide events that are welcoming, inclusive and enjoyable for everyone."

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