all-in-one snail repair cream
Kat Eschner's newsletter about human-animal relationships Vol. 7 iss. 3
As I left Costco last weekend, I watched a man and a woman load what I now suspect were Christmas gifts into their black minivan. Among their haul was an entire case of—you guessed it—all-in-one snail repair cream. If I’d seen this term on a small glass bottle I would have immediately clocked that it was a K-beauty product. As it was, I just saw this box, with the name of the product written in black industrial letters on the side. Out of context, it struck me as incredibly funny. Who are these snails? What happened to them that they need to be repaired in various ways? Who are these people rushing to the aid of these injured snails? Is it serious? Should I be concerned?
Thankfully, Gaby Del Valle had my back in The Outline, with “The ethics of snail mucin.” It’s more of a look at the biz and ethics side, and doesn’t specifically mention the company behind the product I saw. Over at The Ringer, Kate Knibbs unpacked “The secrets of snail skincare.” Both pieces are from spring 2018, which isn’t long after Costco started carrying the famous Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream.
An aside: those who handle snails in snail-farming operations are known as “wranglers.”
Cornu aspersum, the common garden snail, is also often the source of the mucin in snail products. Here, we see the snail in its natural habitat, coming to steal your girl.
Shortish
Rules of golf explained: An animal has moved my ball. What now? (National Club Golfer; Steve Carroll; on the liiiinks)
Humans think ants smell like different things (Twitter thread; Alex Wild)
Aurora considers lifting pit bull ban with city ordinance or ballot measure (CBS Denver; Anica Padilla; Colorado, United States of America)
Tiny owl found hiding in Rockefeller Christmas tree isn’t going home. Here’s why (LiveScience; Laura Geggel; New York, United States of America)
‘Tiger King’ star Jeff Lowe sued over inhumane treatment of animals (BBC News; Oklahoma, United States of America)
Metchosin animal rescue treats mouse found stuck to ‘inhumane’ glue trap (Goldstream Gazette; Nina Grossman; British Columbia, Canada)
Longish
Shades of grey (Longreads; Ashley Stimpson; Florida, United States of America)
I am mesmerized by these tiny meat houses (The Cut; Claire Lampen; Where Else? Of Course America.)
Bug bites: Edible insect production ramps up quickly in Madagascar (Mongabay; Emilie Filou; Northeastern Madagascar)
Stuff from me:
My most recent work.
The last word:
1. I miss restaurants, so I opened my own—for a chipmunk
All images in The Quick Fox are used under Creative Commons licensing. Efforts have been made to ensure that photographs of living animals or natural scenes have been taken ethically, in responsible pet ownership conditions, at AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums or under safe, non-damaging conditions in the wild. If you see an issue with any image we share, please notify me.