#2739 アフリカマイマイの恐怖：'Giant, invasive African snails seized at L.A. airport' July 19, 2014

  面白い記事なので興味のある高校生は読んでみたらいい。落語さながら、落ちまでついている洒落た記事だ。残念ながらコピペできないので、URLを示すのでクリックして閲覧してもらいたい。

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/15/world/crime-legal-world/invasive-giant-african-snails-seized-at-l-a-airport/

　ロスアンジェルス空港税関が67個のアフリカマイマイ（カタツムリ）を押収した。大きなものは900g、殻のサイズは15cmもある。'for human consumption'とあるので食用に輸入されたものらしい。西アフリカのナイジェリアから送られた物だ。
　貪欲な食欲で農作物を食べるから、農業にとって脅威となる。’侵略的外来生物’として怖れれれている。お腹がすくとコンクリートや石も食べる。殻を成長させるために必要らしい。ときに共食いもする。身体が大きいので食べる餌の量も多い。
　'They also can carry several parasites harmful to humans, including one that can cause meningitis.'

  寄生生物とあるので虫かウィルスかと調べてみたら、広東住血線虫で脳髄膜炎を起こすらしい。メニンジャイテスなんて聞いたことのない単語が出てきている。医学専門用語だ。
　meningというのが髄膜をあらわすラテン語の接頭辞だ。日本語で脳髄膜炎と書くと高校生でもどういう種類の病気か検討がつくが、米国の高校生にmeningitesが何の病気か理解できるものはほとんど居ないだろう。
　日本語は医学専門用語も基本漢字て適確に意味を表すようにできているからたいへん便利なのである。そういうわけで高校生にも医学関連記事が読める。
　これは太安万侶と稗田阿礼が『古事記』を作ってくれたおかげだそうだ（明治天皇の玄孫、竹田氏の説）。庶民がいろんな分野の専門用語を理解できるのは日本語の最大のメリットだろう。だから日本人はいろんな分野の本を読める。江戸時代は出版文化花盛りだったのは庶民が本を読めたからで、僧侶や貴族しか本が読めなかったヨーロッパと事情が大きく異なる。宣教師が驚いたのも無理はない。

　ずいぶん脱線してしまった、最後の落ちのところを書いておかねばならぬ。

　The entire collection cofiscated at the airport was eventually turned over to the USDA, which disposed of the snails through incination, although no garlic or butter was used, Harty said.

confiscated:差し押さえられた
USDA:農務省
incination: 焼却


　押収された巨大カタツムリ67個は農務省へ、そこで焼いたがガーリックとバターは使っていない。

　ああ、なんともったいないことを・・・


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　いろいろやってみたら、コピーできました。
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LOS ANGELES – U.S. customs inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport seized a shipment of several dozen live giant African snails, considered a delicacy in Nigeria but also voracious pests that can eat paint and stucco off houses, officials said on Monday.

Weighing nearly 2 pounds (0.9 kg) each, including their shells, and measuring about 6 inches (15 cm) in length, the 67 snails arrived from Lagos, Nigeria, in two plastic baskets with paperwork describing them as being for human consumption, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said.

The mollusks appeared to be packaged as a personal shipment and were marked as destined for an address in San Dimas, California, about 30 miles (48 km) east of Los Angeles, agency spokeswoman Lee Harty said.

No attempt was made to conceal or smuggle the snails, the largest such shipment ever seized at the airport, she said. But the creatures are prohibited from entry because they are deemed a highly invasive pest that pose a serious threat to U.S. agriculture, the environment and public health, the agency said.

According to Customs and Border Protection, the giant snails can consume more than 500 types of plants, and will even munch on the exterior of homes if fruits and vegetables are not available. They also can carry several parasites harmful to humans, including one that can lead to meningitis, Harty said.

After they were intercepted by customs officials at the airport on July 1, specimens were sent to a local U.S. Department of Agriculture lab and then on to USDA mollusk specialists in Washington for further examination.

Experts identified the creatures as belonging to the giant African snail species, known by the scientific name Archachatina marginata. They also are commonly referred to as giant African land snails, West African snails, West African land snails or banana rasp snails.

Each of the mollusks, with striated brownish-orange shells, can easily fill the palm of a person’s hand. They can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) in length and may live up to 10 years in the wild, experts say.

The entire collection confiscated at the airport was eventually turned over to the USDA, which disposed of the snails through incineration, although no garlic or butter was used, Harty said.
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