The snails would be “easy money” for poachers because they tend to
stay within a habitat of just 30 square yards and their size makes them easy
to spot, they said.

The Roman snail has lived in chalk and limestone habitats of Surrey, the North
Downs and the Chilterns since being introduced by invading Romans 2,000
years ago.

Fred Naggs, a snail expert at the Natural History Museum, said: “Roman
snails are the classic ‘escargots’ which the French delight in eating. It is
the same species that occurs in France and much of south eastern Europe.

“[Poaching] is a long-standing problem and restaurants have collected
them for a long time, but they are now officially protected so I didn’t
realise there was a resurgence of the issue.”

Volunteers at WoodChip Conservation have been patrolling the 160-acre woodland
site in Surrey to ward off any would-be poachers, but have now called on
police to help them track down the culprits.

Andy Keay, a member of the group, said: “A lot of people say they are
only snails. But they must be three to five years old to breed, so if you
take them all out, you’re going to devastate the numbers very quickly. It
makes me very angry.”

He said he had recently caught a snail poacher red-handed carrying two “huge
carrier bags full of snails”, adding: “I told him he was breaking
the law, and I grabbed the bags, and the snails stayed.”

The Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 makes it illegal to “kill,
injure or take a Roman snail” or “sell, offer for sale or
advertise live or dead Roman snails.” Police said they would
investigate any breach of the law.