Incredible! 900 Mercedes sent back to the factory because of a snail

Australian customs officers were in for a pleasant surprise when they were about to inspect a shipment of 900 Mercedes of several models and specifications, destined for the brand’s various dealerships in the country. Thanks to the detection of a strange smell in the containers where the vehicles were being transported, they proceeded to inspect them, and what they found led to the entire shipment being placed in quarantine and prepared for repatriation to Belgium, where they come from.

The culprit turned out to be a snail. Or rather, a large number of “Xerolenta obvia”, a species of snail that is quite common in the United States, Canada and southeastern Europe. For Australia, on the other hand, it poses a serious threat, as it does not exist in the country and, if it spreads, it could cause serious problems for crops and local wildlife.

It is not the first time this has happened. Just remember how rabbits got into Australia in the 19th century, brought by a settler to raise them on farms. Their rate of reproduction turned them into a plague that still gives the Australian government headaches today. To prevent this kind of problem, plant and wildlife control at customs is very strict.

So, after detecting the problem, the 900 Mercedes have been placed in quarantine at the ports where they arrived, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, where they arrived divided into five different batches. They are stored in an isolated area, in containers specially equipped so that they do not contaminate the ships that transport vehicles.

A statement says that the Australian government is working with Mercedes to find a solution to this problem, locate the source of the infestation of the cars and prevent greater harm. The cost of this problem is not low, since the total value of the cars amounts to 45 million euros.

This problem has made the news, but it is not the only case detected. Between 2018 and 2019, the number of cars returned by customs authorities for biological contamination has tripled. Many cars have been sent back to China, Japan and Taiwan because of the presence of bed bugs, another animal that has no place in Australia and, to be honest, not in a car’s seats either, right?